


Shinra Ties

by MeNoukie



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy, Final Fantasy VII (Video Game 1997), Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children
Genre: Action, Adult Content, Angst, Blood and Violence, Drama, F/M, Fluff, Romance, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-02
Updated: 2020-10-13
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:27:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 13
Words: 55,465
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26251156
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MeNoukie/pseuds/MeNoukie
Summary: Who would have thought life in SOLDIER could be so complicated? Who would have thought life itself would be so complicated? Eden Fox didn't think so and she soon finds out, life isn't meant to be easy and neither is love. This OC story initiates sometime prior to the events in Crisis Core and ends sometime after Dirge of Cerberus. Sephiroth/OC and eventual Reno/OC.
Relationships: Reno (Compilation of FFVII) & Original Female Character(s), Reno (Compilation of FFVII)/Original Female Character(s), Sephiroth (Compilation of FFVII) & Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 14





	1. Prologue

Life wasn’t always like this, empty, hollow, lonely. Once, I had close friends, family if you like, and even some form of a relationship, though complicated in nature.

Once, when I was seventeen and already quite rebellious, I joined the army, the Shinra Inc. army, something all the boys dreamed of, hating my guts when I was accepted. The main reason for that, would be that I was not, in fact, a boy.

Shinra army wasn't meant for everyone or just anyone, and required one to be made of more than mere flesh and bone. Either that, or you were seriously screwed.

Back then, life was what I wished it to be. I worked hard, trying to achieve my own dreams; earning a place among the most fierce, feared and respected of the army divisions, the elite; SOLDIER.

But I wasn’t the only one striving, and living with a bunch of competitive boys could be a pain in the ass sometimes. They would try to get me down, try to bully me out, but it only made me work harder. I had always been sarcastic, cold some would say, and their attempts had simply failed. Soon, most gave up and some even became my friends. Of course, there were always those few little ass-wipes who couldn't handle a girl being an equal. Screw them anyway.

I kept working hard, and four years later, at the age of twenty-one, I finally managed to maintain a SOLDIER Third Class status, and I gave everyone who ever doubted me the huge finger, right in their face.

I made friends in SOLDIER and I even found someone I cared for greatly. Then, suddenly, everything turned to shit.

Shinra had grown rapidly, becoming the world-dominating company in energy, and they harvested it from the planet’s Lifestream, which is energy in its purest form, sustaining all life. It’s what keeps the balance between all things living. I’d once heard someone say that when someone or something died, their spirit returned to the Lifestream as energy, and when someone or something was born, it would receive this energy, hence creating a never ending circle of life. This energy also provided the world with electricity.

Back then, nobody felt too bad about the greedy, destructive ways of President Shinra, but as always, with great power, well-- comes great insanity. Where Shinra had started out as just an energy company, it had grown out to be much, much more than that.

Spying, secret missions, experiments, murder, kidnapping, all was part of the plan in this ever growing company. To tell you the truth, as an insider, you didn’t see all the bad, all the rot; it was just the way it worked.

But Shinra had gone too far, and the world would suffer for it, for in their insanity, they had _created_ life. They had attempted to create super-soldiers, Project-G. Needless to say, it was a bad idea.

In SOLDIER, First Class consisted of three soldiers, and three only. Rumor was, they had grown up together and trained together, becoming the first ever SOLDIER First Class in history, at the age of twenty. Now, at the age of twenty-seven, they were still the only ones. One, a kind man named Angeal, had always been friendly to me on missions, teaching me what he knew, never going hard on me. He had shown me respect and admired me for my full potential and expected no more than that.

Genesis, well, he was a poet and definitely not my type of person, always scrutinizing, making others feel useless, acting as if the very sun was shining out of his pearly-white ass. Still, after some time, I really got to like him, for a while that is.

Angeal greatly respected him, and they where close friends, which was really the only reason I tolerated him in my presence. Where Genesis’ blade was quick and sharp, my tongue was equal in skill.

The third, I guess that is where it started to get complicated.

Sephiroth.

He was a man unlike any other, calculating, strong, wise, cold, but yet gentle in some ways, and he made my heart beat faster every time he spoke, in a way no poet like Genesis could ever muster. I believe that might just have been Genesis’ problem.

Sephiroth was unequaled in skill, indestructible, and he had been mine for some time. He had been a beautiful creature, for that was exactly what he was. Like I said, it all started with Project-G, also known as Project-Genesis.


	2. Chapter 2

Before I had made it to SOLDIER, I already knew of the magic threesome, passing them many times in the hallways. Sometimes cadets were sent out on missions with them, but I had never been that lucky. Naturally, I was a nobody to them; another uniformed monkey. The only thing that awarded me a second glance was the fact I was a girl. But I had noticed them, they were unable not to be noticed. Sephiroth and Genesis always strutted around with an air thicker than the very atmosphere. Only Angeal, the ever friendly Angeal, would greet everyone as he passed them in the hallways. It was also therefor, that I expected him to become my new mentor, or maybe I had just wished it to be so.

* * * * *

I had just stepped out of the shower and was climbing back into my uniform, when there was a rap on the door. The unexpected sound made me frown, and I glanced at my pager on the nightstand. Nothing, I hadn’t missed anything important, or at least, they hadn’t missed me.

After hastily closing my fly, I opened the door to find a middle-aged, stern looking, red-headed woman on my doorstep. She had the palest blue eyes I had ever seen and by the looks of it, her nose could pick ice.

“Cadet Fox?” she asked, her voice more honey-like than I had expected. It didn’t match her appearance at all.

“Yes?”

“Director Lazard has requested an audience.” Her nose rose into the air, making her look like she was smelling something nasty. It wasn’t me, I just got out of the shower.

I almost cocked an eyebrow at her arrogant and formal behavior. “You may inform the Director that I shall present myself to his office as soon as possible, and I shall make it my utmost priority.” My voice rolled out sweet as silk.

The woman --who I now understood was most likely the Director's secretary-- slightly narrowed her eyes at me, taking me in. Apparently she was wondering whether I was pulling her leg. Not my fault if she’s too stupid to understand sarcasm. I stared back at her, keeping my face in check.

“Very well,” she said finally, after assessing me for a moment longer. “He shall await your arrival.”

“Yeah, later,” I replied, nonchalantly shutting the door, maybe just a bit too rudely.

I heard her heels move towards the elevator as I continued dressing my uniform. “ _Director Lazard has requested an audience,_ ” I mimicked her mockingly as I bounced around trying to get my foot into my boot.

Still, I wondered what he would want with me. I had only been in this office once before; when I was hired four years ago. Cadets didn't usually go up to the office, they got instructions from their squad leaders and did as they were told. They had nothing to do with the goings on this high up the chain of command. I had no idea whether me being called to his office was a good thing, or whether I had done something seriously wrong this time. If I had, then I had no idea what. I knew I talked back to my squad leader often and had a problem with rules and authority, but I hadn't done anything worse than I had been doing for the passed four years. Did that mean there was good news around the corner? There was nothing I could do but go up and find out.

I stepped outside, swallowed hard, and made my way down the brightly lit corridor.

The Shinra building was huge. Over sixty-five floors, the top one being the President's office and penthouse. There was the most important floor of it all, the army cafeteria, which was right below my own residential level, on the forty-ninth floor. Us Cadets resided on the fiftieth floor, where we had everything from dormitories to a common room, to a training center. It was nothing compared to the SOLDIER training center, nicknamed TC for obvious reasons, which resided on the fifty-first floor, along with some smaller training facilities, resource and research facilities and equipment. Above that, were the SOLDIER-floors, one floor for each separate class. As I was told, the rooms got bigger the higher up in class you got, but the accommodations could be referred to as apartments, rather than rooms. Above the dormitories was an entire floor dedicated to us all. Here resided our boss, Director Lazard. His office was located there, along with other archives, his own apartment, that of his secretary and probably a lot more I had never been told about. This was the floor where the orders were given, debriefings held and missions discussed. In other words, a floor I had no business ever being on, unless I was summoned, as was the case today.

As I strutted down the hall, I became only too aware of the fact that I hadn’t even bothered to dry my hair, and it was sure to look the mess. But, you know, priorities. In the elevator, I quickly made a rough braid to at least seem decent. Still, dark brown bangs and waves escaped all over the place, like they always did. I looked at myself in the mirror, noting it didn’t look that bad at all. I kind of liked it, actually. Smirking to myself, I smoothed my blue uniform, not yet knowing I was wearing it for the last time.

When I reached the right floor and stepped out of the elevator, the annoying elevator tunes still rang in my ears.

Before I knocked on the door reading ‘ _Director Lazard_ ’ I decided I would take the stairs on my way back to avoid the cringe worthy music.

“Come in,” came a voice from inside.

Ignoring my nerves, I slowly opened the door, to reveal a large room, housing quite a large amount of technology. Monitors hung from the walls behind a gigantic desk. More desks and consoles where spread throughout the room, and filing cabinets stood against the walls. I was sure the blue-white lighting was doing nothing for my complexion.

When Director Lazard had first introduced himself to me, I had known he was a nice man. He had the undeniable air of someone who was only being formal because it was expected of him. His eyes were kind and warm, looking at me like a father would at his child. His age was difficult to determine, and I hadn’t asked, but I estimated him somewhere between thirty and forty. He was too polite and courteous to be any younger. His blond hair was neatly parted in the middle and blue rimmed spectacles brought out the blue in his eyes. “Miss Fox,” he spoke from behind his desk. “How kind of you to join us.”

I wasn't sure whether he was angry or not, but he was definitely trying to make a point. “I apologize, did I keep you waiting?” I asked him, almost surprised that he would feel the need to wait for me.

“Only a little,” he responded kindly. It seemed he wasn't angry, and I relaxed a little.

“Sir, I believe it is considered polite to at least put on some clothes after stepping out of the shower before making my way up in that annoying elevator.”

I could see his eyes sparkle with glee at my remark. “Yes, that music is horrible, isn’t it?” he smiled at me, putting me more and more at ease.

There was a chuckle behind me, and as I turned around in surprise, I found none other than Angeal standing there with a smile still apparent on his face. His arms were folded over his broad chest, the muscles on his arms rippling as he moved. His black hair was longer in the back of his neck, and was in sharp contrast with his bright blue Mako eyes. The mark of the SOLDIER; an unearthly glow that gleamed like the Lifestream itself. His features were sharp and intelligent, but friendly. He was wearing his SOLDIER uniform, in this case, standard edition, something Genesis and Sephiroth seemingly felt too good for. It consisted of dark, loose pants tucked into black boots and a black sleeveless top, made of soft fabric. Shoulder protectors covered his arms. What stood out most though, was the enormously large broadsword that rested on his back, strapped to his body with leather straps that crossed over his chest. I couldn't imagine I would ever have the strength to even lift the thing.

“Hello, Sir, I didn’t notice you, I’m sorry,” I apologized.

He waved it off with a hand. “It’s required of a SOLDIER to be invisible. You have only confirmed I haven’t lost my touch.”

“Guess you haven't.” I smiled back at him before turning back to the Director.

“I think you will fit right in, Third Class SOLDIER Fox,” he said to me.

At first, the words didn’t sink in, and he looked at me expectantly, his brows raised. No way. I couldn't believe it. Did I really just hear him say what I thought I heard him say? “Sir? Did you say SOLDIER?” I asked, still not certain I had heard correctly.

“Welcome to the elite, Eden,” he smiled.

Four years of hard work. Four years of being bullied, and tested, and the guys telling me I wasn't good enough, that I didn't fit in... And I finally made it. I remembered all the times I had broken down crying when I was just admitted to the academy, having to call my father up in tears every other week to let it all out. I had never doubted myself, and it had only made me work harder, but it had been hard none the less. Would all of that work finally pay off? Would it be over and better from now on?

I flashed back a truly genuine smile and opened my mouth to reply my thanks, when I was interrupted by a new voice.

“For the record, I would like to say I do not agree with this decision.”

I spun around to see a beautiful man stroll in, his strides confident, sending me on edge right away. I knew this man, of course. Genesis. His chin-length hair was auburn, though when the light caught it just right, it held a reddish glow. His features were more defined and softer than Angeal's, who had a hardness to his face that both Genesis and Sephiroth lacked. His eyes had the same Mako glow they all had, two large blue orbs that took in the world with confidence. There was no doubt his eyes were beautiful, expressive even, but I hated the obvious arrogance in them, as if he wanted everyone to know he was better than them. He wore a red coat over his SOLDIER gear and a red blade was strapped to his back. Smaller, but no less deadly than Angeal's. There had been plenty of stories about the competence of the SOLDIER First Class. Would I fit in among them? Suddenly, I wasn't so sure I could ever live up to their expectations. These were no rookies, and most certainly no push-overs.

“Genesis,” Lazard welcomed him. “We have discussed this,” he added, making me wonder what he meant. Had they talked about me before I got here? Did anyone have a problem with me being here? If so, that would mean that my hardships were long from over. Was I bound to fall from one testosterone fest into the next?

“I only wished for the cadet to know,” Genesis said airily, and I narrowed my eyes at him. He was jesting, I knew that. It was something I was accustomed to, having to deal with these kind of guys every week since I got here.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t believe it is your place to have an opinion on this matter,” I sneered at him.

He chuckled, unaffected by my remark and simply looked at Lazard. “Director?”

“Sir?” I asked Lazard in confusion while turning to face him.

“It is, actually,” Lazard explained patiently. “As you shall be colleagues. But I also must impress that we are running thin on employees. We need fresh blood and we need good fighters. You, Eden, have worked hard and showed me your potential. Mark, your squad leader, speaks highly of you. I have already discussed this with my First Class.” He spoke this last sentence directly at Genesis.

He, however, continued to remain ignorant to the Director’s tone. “I am not the only one who doesn’t agree, Seph--”

“On what grounds?” I demanded from him, for a moment forgetting who it was I was addressing.

Angeal had stepped up next to me, his arms still folded. He said nothing though, and looked from one face to the other. I didn't have to ask him his opinion on the matter, I already knew for sure he was on my side. It gave me a strange sense of support.

It was Lazard who spoke first as Genesis and I glared at each other. “Genesis believes you are not in place here, because you are a woman.”

I felt outraged, but then again, it was nothing new. The same thing had been said to me over and over again.

“So does Sephiroth,” Genesis added to make matters worse.

“That’s discriminating. Ever since I first set foot inside this building, I’ve worked hard to earn my place among these men, and for the passed four years, I have not failed in doing so. I do not intend to stop here to achieve what I have worked so hard for, and will not let some arrogant, stuck up gingerbread-man tell me any different!” My voice and tone rose by the word, and by the time I was done, Genesis was the outraged one.

I heard Angeal stifle a laugh next to me as he turned his face away from us, towards the floor.

“Lazard!” Genesis exclaimed. “This is exactly what I mean! Emotions running all over the place, unable to accept criticism and completely disrespectful to her superiors.”

“Personally, I think she’s hilarious,” Angeal laughed. “I like her.”

Genesis shot him a glare, feeling rejected by his friend.

“That is why you are the one to mentor her, Angeal,” Lazard calmly said. “I wouldn’t want her to have a _training accident._ ” Lazard emphasized these last words.

“Thank the Gods,” I exclaimed, feeling relieved I would finally work with someone who actually liked me, despite my temper.

“Accidents happen on missions as well,” Genesis mumbled while crossing his arms in annoyance.

“I heard that,” I said.

“Good.”

I sighed with frustration and turned my attention back to Lazard. “Is this settled, Sir?”

“It is,” he replied. “You are dismissed, SOLDIER.”

I nodded in respect and turned around to leave. At that moment, the door opened again, and another walked in. If I mentioned Genesis being a beautiful man, he was nothing compared to this.

He was even better than beautiful. I’m not going to say perfect, because that really doesn’t exist, and I am by no means that dreamy, but I couldn't help the sudden rush that came over me, or my heart skipping a beat. Strength simply radiated off of him, like I had seen so many times in the halls. The first word that always came to mind was amazing. Sephiroth. Long silver hair danced as he moved, his green cat-like Mako eyes taking in the room. His features weren't as soft as Genesis', but softer than Angeal's. There was a definite sturdiness to him, his face serious and set. His mouth arched up into a perfect cupid's bow, his skin, flawless. The uniform he wore was slightly different from the others'. He wore a long black coat, lined with silver to match his hair. He didn't wear the sleeveless top Angeal and Genesis wore. Instead, his coat closed with straps over his bare chest, leaving very little to be imagined.

I swallowed hard when his eyes took us in. He was the kind of man who didn't need elaboration to know what was going on. Still, after every time I felt my temporary shock, I saw past this and once again arrogance filled the office, if there even was room left for more after Genesis had entered.

He barely granted me a second glance before his cold green eyes focused on Lazard. “You called for me, Director?” I had never heard him speak before, and his voice sounded as mysterious as he looked.

“Ah, yes, that reminds me,” Lazard said. “Eden, please have this.” I walked over to his desk and he handed me a new pager and a cellphone, which I pocketed right away. “Keep these with you at all times, don’t drain the batteries. You never know when you might be needed.”

I heard Genesis snicker behind me. “Hah, yeah, needed.” He shook his head, sending out another chuckle.

“Very funny, Ginger,” I snapped.

“Guys, guys, can’t we just get along, please?”Angeal interrupted. “The Director has made his decision and you’re just going to have to accept it like it is. Sephiroth does.”

I looked over at Sephiroth, daring him to say something. Instead, he just looked back at me, without any emotion on his features. If anything, it was indifference. I wasn’t sure what pissed me off more, Genesis’ apparent dislike of the situation, or this iron face in front of me.

“Sure,” I finally said. “I’ll do my best. After all, it’s not the first time I’ve been locked up in a rooster pen.”

Angeal laughed again to try and lighten the mood. “That’s the spirit! Keep your head high among the lions, and you will survive.” I looked at him and raised an eyebrow. “So, newbie,” he continued. “I will see you at training-center first thing in the morning, O-eight-hundred.”

“Let’s make it seven, shall we?” I challenged him.

He laughed again. “Get outta here, Fox.”

“Yes, Sir.”

Then, suddenly, Sephiroth spoke. “Are you sure you’re up for this challenge, Angeal? You could still refuse, if you wish.” It didn’t sound like he was jesting, or even trying to be funny. It just sounded as if he had absolutely zero faith in me.

I was starting to get angry again. “With all due respect, _Sir_ , but if you’re implying Angeal isn’t up for the job, perhaps you shouldn’t shove off this responsibility towards him and do it yourself.”

Angeal buried his face in his hand as Lazard uttered a warning. I had no idea what I had said was so bad, but apparently, most rookies addressed him with utter respect and awe, and wouldn’t dare argue with him.

I huffed to myself, those rookies were boys, and I had to stand tall among them. I would not be pushed down, not even by the General. If he wanted respect from me, he would first have to earn it, he was nothing more than a name to me at this point.

I had expected him to get angry, to tell me that if it were up to him I wouldn’t even be standing there, but there was none of that. Instead, he took a few calm steps towards me, until his face was dangerously close and his energy-field invaded mine, threatening to push me back. But I stood fast. His mouth turned into a cold smile as he towered over my tiny form and he brought his face within inches of mine.

“You will regret that request.” He whispered this, but due to the silence of everyone holding their breath, it was heard by them none the less.

“Ooooh boy…” Angeal sighed into his hand, as he peeked over it.

“Dismissed,” Sephiroth said while slowly moving away past me.

I will admit I was truly intimidated by his demeanor, more than I had ever been in the past, when the guys would try to test me. I wasted no time and hurried out of the office without another word, truly worried about what I had gotten myself into during my first five minutes as a Third Class SOLDIER.

I swallowed hard and made for the staircase. It seemed I was going to need the exercise.


	3. Chapter 3

As I lay in bed that night, I could just beat myself over the head over and over again for saying what I had. How could I be so stupid? Sassing the other guys, fine, but the General? And the other First Class? My father had always warned me about my tongue, that it would get me into trouble one day and I was afraid that day had finally come. I had no clue as to what Sephiroth would do to me, but the memory of his face when he leaned down to deliver his message, told me I really wasn’t going to like it.

“Stupid, stupid, _stupid_!!” I cursed at myself in the dark. “Eden, you stupid cow.”

Then I decided maybe I could make things right if I apologized to Sephiroth in the morning. I could go that far and still keep my dignity. As for apologizing to Genesis, that wasn’t going to happen, he had jested me from the moment he walked in, so screw him.

* * * * *

The next morning, after getting ready, including spending half an hour on the toilet because of my nerves, I made my way down to the cafeteria. On my way down I wondered whether I should apologize to Sephiroth. Maybe we got off on the wrong foot, and maybe I could make it right before things got worse.

Once I made it down, I strolled over to my friends and sat down. Max was my closest friend here. He was in my squad and so were the others at my table, but I had always gotten along best with Max. At first, when I joined Shinra, he had given me a hard time, though he had never been really mean to me. He found it strange, that a girl would be admitted to the Shinra army, something that was unheard of. Then, once the ice had broken, he had tried to hit on me, but failed at that too. After that we had become good friends. I hadn't minded, even considered going out with him. He was fairly good looking, with his gray eyes and soft brown hair, but I decided I wanted to focus my energy on training and getting better.

Some of my friends teased me, saying I wasn’t allowed to sit with them anymore, now that I wore my SOLDIER uniform. They quickly shut up though, as I threateningly placed my Sais on the table. Truthfully though, they were all glad for me, and I was grateful to have finally been accepted. I could only hope that I wouldn’t have to start all over again in SOLDIER.

“Eden, you’re ringing.” Max pointed at my waist while I was busy stuffing a doughnut into my mouth.

At first I didn’t register, as this was not my usual ring-tone. Surprised, I flipped open the cellphone Lazard had given me and held it to my ear. “Hello?”

“Hey, good morning. Nervous?” Angeal's friendly voice spoke to me.

“I’m dying,” I replied honestly.

“Good to hear. Come sit with me, I need to discuss something with you.”

I looked around and found him sitting on the other side, along with his two colleagues and some others who seemed to be lower class SOLDIERS. He waved at me to come over. Did this mean I wasn’t allowed to sit with my friends anymore?

“Sure thing, Sir,” I said before shutting the phone. “Sorry guys, duty calls.”

“This is how it starts, boys,” Max said, grinning widely. “They’re already stealing her, first chance they get.

“Hold on, Max,” I chipped. “Not too long ago, you were trying very hard indeed to get rid of me.”

The reminder seemed to amuse him. “That was before you kicked my ass.”

I laughed and rose from the chair, knuckling his head. “See you guys later.”

“Yeah, later, Eden.”

“Hey, Eden! I love to watch you leave!” I heard one of my friends calling after me as I walked away, while the rest started howling and laughing.

I rolled my eyes and shook my head, but I loved it when they were acting silly. Although, maybe right now wasn’t the best of moments.

As I approached the SOLDIER table, I noticed it was set apart from the other tables and was far more luxurious. Apparently, being SOLDIER didn't just grant you larger living quarters, it had other perks too. Angeal was sitting at the middle of the table, but Sephiroth and Genesis had sat themselves apart from others, Sephiroth even with his back facing everyone else, as if they wanted everyone to know they were better than them.

“Good morning,” I smiled, trying to begin the day with a fresh start. This must be what status did to someone.

Some of the boys mumbled a response, but other than that, only Angeal acknowledged my presence. “Mornin’, please, sit,” he gestured to a seat opposite him, unfortunately right next to Genesis, who didn’t even so much as glance at me. “Alright, first things first,” Angeal continued, as I observed Sephiroth, who was calmly roaming his eyes over the noisy cafeteria. “In case you were wondering, you are allowed to sit with your friends.” I raised my eyebrows, asking myself how he knew. “They always wonder,” he explained, eyes twinkling with mirth. “And judging by their behavior, they would miss you very much.” His eyes moved in their direction, and as I looked over, I found them whistling and waving at me.

I chuckled and shook my head again. Bunch of idiots. “I’m pretty sure they’re trying to get me fired on my first day, Sir,” I laughed.

“Some might try to get you killed on your first day,” Genesis added with a sneer.

I shot him a sideways glare, but decided against responding. Today, I would try to leave a good impression on all of them, especially Sephiroth, who had turned his head away from my friends, looking suspiciously disapproving. Then again, it was hard to tell what he was thinking. He seemed unapproachable, making me think twice about apologizing to him. A large part of me feared he would make a complete ass out of me in front of the entire cafeteria. Something told me he was more than capable of doing that. Maybe later I would get the chance to make it up to him.

“Now to the important part,” Angeal continued, also ignoring his friend’s remark. “You are expected in the labs this Friday, to receive your Mako-treatment.”

I had completely forgotten about that. SOLDIERs always underwent this treatment, to enhance their abilities and become stronger and faster. Mako consisted of condensed Lifestream and was basically pure energy. This energy fused with the cells in the body, enhancing them. Condense it further, and it became materia, which could be used for magic and other mystic things. I had once held a ball of blue materia, enticed by the way the smooth glass-like marble seemed to glow from within. I had never used it, though, and wasn't likely to anytime soon. Unless, of course, they would tell me to. The use of materia was a privilege meant only for the best of warriors, which right now, I was not. Learning how to use it seemed like an unnecessary effort to me. Furthermore, it was my humble opinion that good fighters didn’t get hurt, and I wanted to be a good fighter.

“Yes, Sir,” I replied. I wondered what my eyes would look like after the treatment. All of the SOLDIERs I knew, had blue or green ‘Mako-eyes’. It was what Mako did, it added a strange but beautiful glow to the eyes. But my eyes were dark brown and I wondered if they would turn blue or green as well. Would I still recognize myself after Friday?

“While you’re there, the company will transfer your things to your new living quarters, in the SOLDIER section. I will make sure it is done discretely,” he smiled when he saw the look on my face. Some guys were going to be handling my lady-stuff, and it was making me uncomfortable. “You will be staying on our floor,” he added. “As your guardian, I want to be able to keep an eye on you. For... obvious reasons.” What obvious reasons? I made a mental note to ask him once we were alone.

“Thank you, Sir,” I said instead, grateful for his consideration. The boys would flip if they found out I was getting a spot in the First Class dormitory.

“You don’t have a sword,” Genesis said, pulling me from my thoughts.

“No, I don’t,” I simply answered, only just managing to leave out ‘Captain Obvious.’ Real swords had never been my thing. My father had gotten me these Shinra made tridents when I had turned sixteen, and I had cherished them ever since. Other girls got their first car at sixteen, I got deadly weapons, so what? They were easy to handle, sharp and light. Not no mention the ideal substitute for a can opener. I’d like to see Genesis pry open a can with that sword of his.

“Can I see those?” Angeal asked me, pointing at the blades that were fastened to my back.

I pulled my sais from my back harness and handed them over.

Genesis snorted. “SOLDIER fights with swords, not with toothpicks.”

“Says who?” I asked him, turning my head towards him, as if finally willing to acknowledge his presence.

“The same people who say women don’t belong here.” He unsheathed his red Rapier and dramatically swung the sword around, drawing the attention of more than half the cafeteria. His words had stung me again.

“Wow, you belong on a stage,” I said in a dry voice. I was so done with men. I had finally managed to earn their trust and respect, and now, I would have to do it all over again, just like I had feared. A tiresome sigh left my lips as I stood to retrieve my sais from Angeal’s hands.

“They’re great weapons,” he said while smiling up at me.

Something told me he was trying his best to make me feel better, and to make me feel accepted, but the way Genesis was assessing me from beside him make my stomach churn. What was even worse, was that through this entire conversation, Sephiroth hadn’t even so much as glanced in my direction. It was like I didn’t even exist. Angeal’s gesture was appreciated, and given the fact that he was going to be the one to mentor me, his attitude should be all that mattered to me, but I truly hated not being given a chance. Even as a child I’d always felt that I had to prove myself. The very thought that I would have to fight for my acceptance again made me sad.

“Permission to leave, Sir?” I asked Angeal as I strapped my weapons back in place.

“Granted,” he said, while observing my face. There was no doubt he saw the disappointment written on my features, but he didn’t comment on it. Instead, he gave me a smile of encouragement. “Don’t be late.”

“I won’t,” I simply answered before making my way back to my friends.

“Stop doing that,” I heard Angeal say as soon as I had moved away from their table.

“What?” Genesis’s voice dripped with feigned innocence, as if he had no idea what Angeal was referring to.

“Giving her such a hard time,”Angeal replied. “She’s with us now, give her a chance. Lazard wouldn’t promote her if she wasn’t up for the challenge.” His voice carried down the cafeteria, and I wondered if maybe this was his way for sticking up for me. If so, I was grateful. A small smile graced my lips when I joined Max and the others. Genesis responded, but I couldn’t make out what they were saying anymore.

“I see you haven’t forgotten about us,” Max said while I sat down next to him. “I almost thought you would feel we are beneath you now that you're promoted,” He added with a snicker.

“I always thought you were beneath me,” I replied dryly.

It felt good laughing with my friends, and I needed it too, knowing fifteen minutes from now I was going to be slaughtered.

“I have to get my Mako-treatment Friday,” I told them while trying to get down the pathetic breakfast that was still waiting for me. If I even made it to Friday, that is.

“I’m really gonna miss those big, beautiful brown eyes,” Max laughed and slapped me on the back, causing me to slam into the table and nearly choke on my bread.

“I think you’ll be lucky to even see me alive after today,” I said, receiving concerned looks from everyone around the table.

* * * * *

This was it, I was going to die, I was sure of it.

“Are you ready, Fox?” Angeal asked me as he came walking down the hallway.

I’d been waiting in front of the training-center for over half an hour, letting out some silent prayers. People had looked at me funnily as they passed, but I guessed it was due to the fact that it was impossible for me to stand still. I kept readjusting my uniform, the high collar itching my sweaty skin. The harness straps were constricting my breathing and movements, even though they had been perfectly fine an hour ago, and I eventually gave up fidgeting with them. I’d arrived early because I wanted to make a good impression, but now I regretted that decision because I had to go to the ladies really bad. Unfortunately, that had to wait.

“Not really, no,” I replied to Angeal’s question truthfully.

He laughed and slapped me on the shoulder while entering the door-code with his other hand. “I like your honesty, Fox.” After the door opened, he faced me, not yet letting me inside. “The code to the door is 592802. Remember it. I won’t always be here to train with you, and when I’m not, I want you to come here by yourself. This job takes a lot of effort, and even more blood, sweat and tears. I have faith in you, so work hard.”

“Got it,” I nodded my head determinedly, but I felt even more nervous after his words. What if I didn’t cut it? After assessing his physique again, I was convinced this guy would beat me to a pulp. Maybe he would go easy on me until I at least had my Mako-treatment. Speaking of which; “I was wondering...” I started carefully, thinking back on his announcement about where I would be staying after Friday.

“What?”

“Why did you accommodate me on the First Class floor? I belong with the Thirds, don't I?”

He looked me over for a moment, as if he were contemplating on whether or not he could be honest with me. “Well... That would have been the initial idea, but I discussed it with Lazard and we've come to the conclusion it would be safer for you. The Third Class boys can be... a handful. There will be no funny business on the First Class floor. It's not that I don't trust you, Eden, I am just trying to avoid problems. Is that alright with you?”

So that had been the reason. I had been worried that maybe he didn't trust me, but he was just looking out for me. I felt this was the start of a very good mentor ship.

He smiled at me reassuringly and finally stepped into the room that was going to be my second home for a very long time. The large square room was similar to the one we used as cadets, though I the simulations I would face here were going to be a lot more difficult. The Shinra emblem adorned the wall, along with a large timer.

“Sir?” I asked Angeal as I followed him inside. The room felt so familiar to me that my nerves calmed significantly. It reminded me that I was made for this, no matter what people thought. “Do you think I should apologize to the General?” I had been thinking about it all morning. I decided against trying in front of all the other SOLDIERs, but I really wanted to try none the less.

Angeal frowned and watched me intently before answering. “You were slightly out of line, yes.”

“But would it make any difference?” I pressed on.

He cocked his head as the door closed behind us with a soft click. “I doubt it. But, maybe on the long run, it would.”

“What does that mean?”

It took a moment for Angeal to reply as he chose the best way to explain his words to me. “Well, he’s quite insusceptible to such things, but I do think he would appreciate the show of character. It might help him get to like you.” He considered me for a moment. “Genesis as well,” he added after a short pause. It was clear he knew his fellow SOLDIERs very well, which didn’t come as a surprise. These men had been fighting together since before I had joined Shinra four years ago.

I snorted at this. “Are you for real? He’s been at my throat since even before he met me.” If they expected me to act all humble so they could tread on me more than they already did, they had another thing coming.

To his credit, Angeal didn’t correct me in my behavior, telling me he was patient and understanding. I wondered how long it would be until I found out exactly when he’d reach his limits, since I was prone to provoking someone until they did.

“He’s a complicated guy and so is Sephiroth, he explained while moving over to the console in the corner. “Just try it, if unsuccessful, in any case, showing them your potential might do the trick. They will learn to respect you, if the stories the Director shared with us are true.”

My eyebrows shot up in surprise. I never knew Lazard thought _that_ highly of me, but I was grateful he had stuck out his neck for me. “Maybe you’re right, Sir, I should just set aside my pride and apologize. But, if he continues to be an insufferable ass, then I will not hesitate to let him know.”

Angeal laughed heartily at my honesty. “Make sure you do, the last thing we want is for him to run you over. But, please, just call me Angeal. Sir makes me feel old.”

I laughed and realized I felt comfortable around this guy. He was easy to talk to and I knew I never had to be worried to speak my mind to him. I prayed thanks to the Gods for letting me have him as a mentor, instead of the cold Sephiroth or the dramatic Genesis.

“Shall we begin?” he asked. “We will start off easy, I just want to see what you can do.”

Pulling my sais out of my harness, I twirled them around in my hands and took my stance, all nerves absent, full concentration kicking in. This was what I lived for. This was what I was. “Bring it on, old man.”

He went easy on me for the first hour, but then a sadistic smile appeared on his face and he turned the simulator up a notch or seventy, letting monsters run at me from all angles. I moved as fast as my human body would let me, and I danced around the room, slicing, kicking out, and rolling around to avoid getting hit. There was a never ending torrent of beasts coming at me, each one uglier than the last. Before long, I’d lost count, and my muscles were burning with effort to raise my weapons. My movements were becoming sluggish and my breathing had changed to panting long ago. Finally, the last monster came running at me from behind, and I spun around to bury my blade in its neck. It went down with a loud thud and disappeared. The room was empty once again, but for me and Angeal, who stood watching me with a keen gleam in his eyes.

“That’s for calling me old man,” he said once I was finished, and quite honestly, exhausted.

“I’m not apologizing for that,” I replied, making him laugh.

“That’s enough for today, Eden, you may take your leave.” The timer on the wall said three hours and eleven minutes.

I couldn’t remember ever having trained for so long in a single session.

“Thanks, Angeal. Will we train again tomorrow?”

“You may, but I will be going on a mission. No, you can’t come yet, at least not until you’ve received your treatment,” he added when he saw my excited face. “But you can train with some of the others, Zack’s here, you could train with him. Or you could train alone.”

“Who’s Zack?”

“My other pupil, he’s Second Class. I think the two of you could go great together, although I am slightly worried about the well-being of this training-center…” he trailed off.

Meeting some of the others wasn’t a bad idea in my opinion. Maybe I could find someone less arrogant, and more my type of person. Someone to have fun with now that I wouldn’t be hanging out with Max that often anymore. I really needed a friend to train with whenever Angeal wasn’t available.

“Where can I find him?” I really didn’t want to get sloppy, and I wasn’t about to go messing with the simulations on my own.

“He’s usually around in the afternoon, he likes to sleep off.” Angeal made a face, as if refraining himself from rolling his eyes. “Young people aren’t what they used to be.”

“So, you’re admitting to being an old man?” I mischievously grinned at him.

“This old man will beat your ass any day.”

I laughed at his response as I made my way to the door, but I stopped and turned halfway there. “Angeal? Will the General be here tomorrow, or will he be going with you on this mission?”

“I think he will be here, but you’ll have to look though. He’s not really a sociable person.”

“You don’t say.”

Angeal chuckled and shook his head. “Come on, let’s get some lunch.”


	4. Chapter 4

During the time Angeal had been away, I had trained with Zack daily. He was glad since it meant he didn’t have to train by himself either. I had easily found him on the second day, as he was scratching the back of his head trying to get the simulator inside TC to work. From the doorway, I’d watched him punch seven-hundred buttons to no avail, before giving up all together and just kicking the computer instead.

“I doubt that’s going to work,” I had said. He was startled by my voice, but a wide grin appeared when I asked, “Have you tried buying it flowers?”

We got along very well, and he was a fun guy to hang out with. At times I found him childish, but he was a great laugh and a good, hard working fighter. He was an outgoing guy and I could see why Angeal liked him so much. They were even a little alike. Zack's hair was also black, though shorter and spiky, and he was a little younger than Angeal, around my own age. He wore the standard SOLDIER uniform, and I thought it looked good on him. His bright blue eyes shone with mirth when he laughed, something he did often. The word ‘cute’ definitely passed my mind more than once. At least he was nice to me, and right up my alley.

Unfortunately, I still hadn’t managed to run into Sephiroth, and I had no idea where the guy spent his time. Luckily for me, I hadn’t run into Genesis either, which had undoubtedly prevented unavoidable awkward moments.

Then, finally, after nearly a week, I had found Sephiroth. And quite unexpected and unprepared I might add. I had been expecting to find Zack in the training-center, but instead, it was occupied by Sephiroth. I had barged right in without announcement.

“Hey, I was thinking--” I cut myself off when I saw him standing there, staring at me in surprise. Whether for my rudeness for just walking in, or for still being alive, I wasn’t sure. Either way, this wasn’t a very good start of an apology.

“Good afternoon, Fox,” he greeted me casually, his voice smooth as silk, yet cold as steel. “You were thinking what?”

I was baffled that he chose to waste his words on me. “Uh…good afternoon, Sir, apologies, I was expecting someone else.”

“I would certainly hope so.”

“Sorry,” I said again, feeling myself go a little red in the face.

When we both fell silent, I told myself this was the right moment. Even though I still didn’t really want to, I had to apologize. He hadn’t yet ended my life, but I became more paranoid by the day, even Zack said I had it coming.

As I stood there contemplating a way to say it, he questioned me with his cold eyes.

“Was there something else you wanted?” he asked.

His voice pulled me off my train of thoughts, thoughts that hadn’t even been on the right track in the first place. I was such an idiot, not even preparing for this. The way his cat-like eyes were assessing me, was like he was looking right through me. To say it was uncomfortable would be an understatement.

“Yes, Sir, actually,” I said to him, trying to get it together.

“And?” His tone of voice hadn’t changed, and yet there was a hint of impatience there, and it didn’t make me feel any better.

Just go on and spit it out, my mind and his eyes said the same thing. “I would like to apologize, Sir, for my behavior the other day, if I may.” I lowered my eyes to the floor to avoid eye contact. Since when was I such a wuss?

“You just did, so why ask for permission.” It was more of a statement than a question. My eyes flew up to meet his, and I wondered why I was even apologizing, he was still being rude. “I appreciate it,” he added.

“So, you will accept my apology?” I smiled, feeling lucky. This was easier than expected.

“I said I appreciated it, I said nothing about accepting it,” he replied coldly and my smile froze.

Maybe I wasn’t so lucky after all. There were a dozen things I could have spat out right there, but none of those were nice and none of those would make my situation any better. So I settled on a simple answer, which would have been something along the lines of ‘right’. But before I could utter a single syllable, he had drawn his Masamune and was charging right at me.

It happened in a flash and he was tremendously fast. The only thing I managed to do was roll to the side before his blade would skewer me into shaslik. As I dove, the tip of his seven foot sword slashed my right cheek. I rolled onto my feet and brought my fingertips to my cheek, looking down at the blood that coated them when I pulled away.

“What the hell are you playing at?!” I sniped at him, too shocked to be polite.

“Since the days of old, conflicts were settled by the sword,” he replied, strength radiating through the room. Oh how wrong I had been provoking him.

“This isn’t the days of old!” Was he insane? He couldn’t simply attack me and abuse his superiority like that.

He laughed a low, cold laugh as his lips turned into a sadistic smile. Angeal’s smile was angelic compared to this. It reminded me that he was Sephiroth and he could do whatever he wanted. “I would suggest you defend yourself, or you might find yourself in a very unlucky predicament.”

Was he kidding? This was already a very unlucky predicament! He was going to kill me, I knew it; I saw the blood-lust in his eyes. This was goodbye, goodbye world, goodbye Zack, goodbye Max. I was dead, I was-- no I wasn’t. I was SOLDIER and I would fight till the end, I was no helpless deer, I was a warrior too. Screw this guy! He was the one being rude, he had been wrong about me, and I would prove it.

He took advantage of my standing there like a lost puppy and charged at me again. Only this time, I had been expecting it. In a flash, I grabbed my sais and blocked his attack, our blades crashing into each other, sending echoes and sparks around the room.

“You’re not being fair, Sir,” I smirked. “I haven’t been given my treatment yet. For now, you are attacking an innocent, under-skilled, purely human girl.” I tried to sound deeply hurt, but I knew he was immune to such words.

“You’re bold and impertinent, I wish to see if your blades match the sharp edge of your insolent tongue, _girl._ ” He swung his arm and I was thrown back into the room, but I stayed on my feet.

“Angeal loves me for it, it makes him laugh,” I replied.

He advanced on me again and again, but I knew, somehow, that he was holding back. His strength was incredible and as I had heard, unmatched by anyone. Yet, I was still alive and for now, without much blood-spill.

Somewhere in the middle of our battle, Genesis had walked in and now stood against the wall eating an apple, watching the dance. He was commenting here and there, mostly encouraging his friend, but who was listening to him anyway?

A moment later, it seemed Sephiroth had lost interest and advanced with strength he had not shown me before. Withing seconds, my first Sais went flying through the air, closely followed by the second. And still he advanced on me, even though I was unarmed. With all that was in me, I anticipated his move and twisted around him, placing my right wrist against his throat and letting the hidden blade inside my glove shoot out. It might even have broken the tender skin a bit. He laughed as I stood there, my blade to his throat, cradling the illusion I had him, for this illusion was soon knocked out of my head, when he brought his blade up and hit me in the head with the hilt. I let go of him and fell to the floor, groaning as blood started dripping from my hairline onto the floor. I felt sick and the room was spinning. I wasn’t sure anymore which side was up.

No one said anything for a few moments, as I tried to scramble to my feet and regain my balance. I slumped down onto my knees with a groan.

“That wasn’t completely pathetic.” I heard Sephiroth’s cold voice state. “For a normal, human _girl._ ”

He pulled me onto my feet by my harness and I almost wanted to take a swing at him for jesting me again, but instead I nearly fell to the floor when I threw myself off balance. He held me up by the arm easily.

“You’re starting to really bore me with those unoriginal provocations,” I snapped at him, before he let go of my arm and I smacked down again. His boots moved away from me, and Genesis’ approached. A groan made its way out of my throat as he neared, thinking I didn’t want to deal with His Royal Asshole-ness on top of Sephiroth.

“Come, get up,” he said, pulling me up by the arm. His sudden kindness was surprising. Had I earned both their approval?

“Well, that was painful,” I whispered.

He grinned, showing me a different side of him. “Not at all, that was actually pretty good. Let me see that.” He turned my cheek towards him with his free hand and inspected my cut. “Doesn’t look too bad, nothing major. You’ll be patched up in no-time.”

I wasn’t sure I’d heard right, or maybe it was the bump on my head, but I thought I heard him give me a genuine compliment. “Thanks,” I mumbled, as I slowly regained my own balance.

Sephiroth came walking towards us, holding my Sais in his hands. I half expected him to bury them in my neck, but, instead, he handed them over to me.

“Apology accepted,” he said to me. I lifted my head with a frown. “Go to the infirmary,” he added before he walked out, closely followed by Genesis, who winked at me before closing the door, leaving me by myself.

Something told me that I’d had it easy. But, I had survived, and just like that, the ice had been broken.

* * * * *

The next morning, I had actually been greeted by Genesis, and even by Sephiroth, who had just nodded, but still, it was acknowledgment.

I had eaten with my friends, before I had made my way down to the labs to receive my treatment.

To say it was unpleasant would be an understatement, in fact, it was extremely painful when I felt the Mako course through my veins, enhancing my cells. It had felt like I was on fire and it wasn't over in the blink of an eye either. The treatment had taken three hours at least and the attack on my body had caused me to lose consciousness. I had woken up hours later, vomiting and sweating like a Mesmerize.

Once I had emerged from the labs, I had missed dinner, but I wasn’t hungry anyway. It had taken some time for me to find my new quarters. I had been so confused that I had gone directly to my old room, before realizing I was no longer sleeping there. After cursing to myself, I made my way back up in the annoying elevator. There was no way I would’ve been able to face the stairs that time.

I stumbled along the hallway, trying to find my door, but I had completely forgotten which one it was, until I nearly fell past one with my name on it. And then came the next problem. The damn code. What was it again?

“Damnit,” I whispered while staring at the touch pad, trying hard to focus my eyes and my mind. But, somehow, it wasn’t really working for me. I put my hands against the wall to keep myself upright, feeling dizzy and disorientated, not to mention still sweating and sick to my stomach. I tried punching in some codes, but each time the screen flashed red, it pissed me off more.

“God damnit!” I growled and punched the device, nearly causing me to fall. I stood panting, doubled up with my hands against the wall for support, when I heard a voice from what seemed like the other end of the hall. It was only when I glanced sideways that I noticed someone standing right next to me.

“Breaking it will only set off the alarm, you know.” The voice was familiar, but right now everything was blurry to me, so I had no idea who was talking to me.

“I don’t care,” I breathed. “Maybe someone will come and help me then.”

“Give me moment.” I heard the sound of a phone flipping open followed by a short conversation.

I nodded while still focusing on the wall in front of me, trying hard not to pass out.

“Step aside,” the voice said, and as I felt a hand on my waist to secure me, I finally looked up to see who had joined me in my quest. It was Genesis.

“You…” I said, sounding pathetically weak. “What are you doing here?”

He held me up by the waist as he punched in the code on the touchscreen. “You do realize you’re standing in the SOLDIER First Class corridor?”

“Whatever,” I growled, not really in for a conversation.

The door opened and he escorted me inside, still holding me up. I didn’t take any notice of my surroundings, I just knew it was a long way to the bedroom, where Genesis sat me down on the edge of the bed. My head hung down between my legs and I groaned. God, I felt so pathetic. Only my dignity stopped me from crying for my mother.

“You need anything?” he asked me.

A sudden nausea came over me when I shook my head and Genesis jumped out of the way as I fled for the bathroom, where I emptied the contents of my stomach. It was green, luminescent green and it freaked me out.

“Genesis, it’s green!” I cried from inside the bathroom.

“It’s excess Mako, that wasn’t absorbed by your body,” he explained.

From the corner of my eye, I saw him appear in the doorway, leaning against the frame with his arms crossed. “Am I dying?” I asked him, sounding completely piteous.

“We’ve all been there, Eden, it’ll be over in the morning. Get some sleep.”

Fortunately, the attack was over as soon as it had started. After thoroughly washing my mouth, I stumbled my way passed him and back into the bedroom, feeling slightly better. Maybe sleep wasn’t such a bad idea. In fact, my bed was looking very inviting.

“I could…stay here, if you want...” he stated, and I could just feel his confidence radiating off him.

So, this was how it was going to be, huh? He went from wanting me dead to wanting... something else. Men, they were all the same, weren't they?

Normally, I would have told him off, but I was in no shape for that.

“Thanks for your help, Sir,” I mumbled and dropped onto the bed.

“Worth the try.” I heard him chuckle somewhere in the distance as I slumbered into a deep sleep.

* * * * *

When I awoke the next morning, I felt much, much better, but I also felt truly dirty and disgusting. After making my way into the bathroom, I turned on the water and stood before the mirror.

“Holy mother of Shiva…” I whispered as I saw myself. If ever I looked terrible, it was this moment. “If I had died last night, this would have been the end of me.” I moved for the shower, but did a double take. My eyes. They were different, still a soft, dark brown, but something shone through them, like a red glow. “Oh my Gods, I went full vampire,” I whispered as I moved my face closer to the mirror, inspecting them.

After pulling away from the mirror reluctantly, I quickly undressed and stepped under the shower. Sweet bliss, a shower had never felt so good.

When I stepped out, after what seemed like an hour, I felt truly refreshed and, indeed, stronger than ever before. The Mako had by now infused with my cells and had enhanced them. You gotta love science.

I blow-dried my hair, got dressed and started applying some light make-up. My eyes glowed back at me and now I took good look, I had to admit, it was actually beautiful. “I look…awesome,” I gasped at myself.

Maybe this was why they all strutted so confidently through the halls, because, truthfully, Mako eyes were stunning.

Genesis’ were such a bright blue, I was sure they glowed in the dark. Some had beautiful bright green, and then there was the General, whose Mako eyes were an amazing minty green.

But I hadn’t come across any SOLDIER with dark Mako eyes, and damn right, it made me feel special. Yes, this was a look I could learn to appreciate.

Then my phone rang. I stalked into the bedroom and read the caller ID; Angeal.

“Hey,” I happily said to him as I answered it.

“Hey, feeling better?”

“Uh…yeah, I feel amazing, how did you know?” I narrowed my eyes, shooting distant daggers at Genesis for not keeping his mouth shut. I wondered if he gave them the whole story, or whether he conveniently left half of it out.

I heard Angeal laugh on the other side, and judging by the noise, he was sitting in the cafeteria. “We all know what it’s like, getting those Mako treatments, it’s no fun at all. Genesis mentioned you were a great mess last night, and you nearly yanked the code pad off the wall.”

There was some snickering on the other end and it pissed me off. It sounded suspiciously like Genesis. “Uhuh. Did he also mention he tried to take advantage of me in my ‘messy’ state?” I shot back at Angeal.

“No…he failed to share that part.” His voice dropped and he fell silent for a moment, clearly surprised by this news. I smirked as I knew Angeal was without doubt shooting those daggers at Genesis at close range. “He meant nothing by it, I’m sure,” Angeal finally continued, sounding completely serious.

“That’s alright, it’s still better treatment than before, I guess.”

Angeal laughed softly again. “True. You coming down for lunch?”

“Lunch?”

“It’s 2pm, Eden.”

“Holy shit,” I mumbled. “I’ll be right there, just wait for me.”

While flipping the phone shut, I made for the door and stalked down the hall to the elevator. I had to travel even further down now, as the First Class quarters were only one floor below Mission-Control, where Lazard’s office was.

I once again closed my eyes to block out that excruciating elevator music, and made a note to self that I would demand someone to cut this shit off, first chance I got.

I made a quick pittstop at my friends’ table, naturally receiving many remarks, before making my way over to Angeal. The last time I’d seen him had been nearly a week ago, on my very first day in SOLDIER. After that, he’d been away on a mission while I trained with Zack and got my ass handed to me by Sephiroth. It only took me a second to realize I’d actually missed him.

“Glad you’re back,” I said while slapping him on the shoulder and sitting down next to him. “How’d it go?”

“Badly,” he sourly replied. “Negotiations didn’t go as well as I had expected, which is why I’ve returned so soon. Lazard will have to come up with something else, or we’re gonna have to go to war.”

Shinra was in constant disagreement with Wutai, a foreign nation on the Western Continent. For years negotiations had been rough to say the least, and lately the friction between the two had only become worse. So much worse in fact, that both were ready to blow. Apparently, Angeal had been sent over to negotiate once again. By the sounds of it though, things were about to turn south.

“He’ll make sure to avoid it,” Genesis chimed in from opposite me. “We’ve been summoned at MC, we should make our way up, Sephiroth is already there.”

“Let the woman eat, Genesis,” Angeal warned while I was too busy following the conversation to take scoop some soup into my mouth.

“Fine,” he answered. “I’ll go on ahead.” he stood to leave, but leaned over the table instead. “And Eden.” I looked up at him, my eyes locking with his. They sparkled back at me. “Nice eyes.” He winked before he took off for the exit.

I stared after him as he left, watching everyone move out of his way. Things with Wutai may be going south, but things were definitely looking up for me. I suddenly felt a little hot, and I wasn’t sure it was solely to blame on the soup I was currently eating.

“Eat up, Eden, we need to get to our briefing.” Angeal nudged my arm, shaking me from my daze.

“I’m invited?” I was surprised.

“You and Zack, so you better act your best if you want your first mission.”

A mission? Did this mean I was already allowed to join him? I smiled brightly in excitement and started eating as if I was famished.


	5. Chapter 5

We walked into Lazard’s office, without knocking. I had to admit, I was starting to feel like one of them and no doubt my strut had changed over the passed week. I had noticed cadets staring at me in the hallways, and finally, I was receiving some of the respect I felt I earned.

Genesis was looking at a file on the computer and didn’t even look up. Sephiroth was leaning on a desk with his arms folded. He nodded at me when I made eye contact. I returned the gesture and greeted Lazard behind his desk. Maybe I had been worrying over nothing. All beginnings were difficult. These were mature men, not the juvenile boys I was used to before I got here. I realized it was only natural for them to be a little apprehensive of my arrival, and I decided not to hold it against them for too long. Maybe only a little.

Suddenly I received a slap on the back. “Heeeey, gorgeous!” Zack greeted me, and his eyes met mine. “Love the eyes, I’m jealous right now.”

I had only gone through the changes yesterday, but somehow it had already slipped my mind. Maybe it was due to the fact that I didn’t really feel any different, physically.

“Even such eyes won’t get you there, Fair,” I stated dryly, but teasingly.

“Hey!” he exclaimed indignantly, making me grin.

“I see you feel right at home, Eden?” Lazard addressed me with a kind smile.

“I feel at home everywhere, Sir.” Even more so when I didn’t feel like everyone hated me.

“Good, I’ve heard some promising things concerning your newly acquired status, keep up the good work.”

“Thank you, Sir.” I nodded my head at him, grateful he was sharing this with me in front of the others. Who had been the one to tell him so? Had it been Angeal? Or Sephiroth? Maybe even Zack?

“As for you,” Lazard addressed Zack, who grinned uncomfortably and scratched the back of his head. “Well done.” A kind smile spread Lazard’s lips apart. It was clear by the look on his face that he cared for his team.

Zack shot me a proud sideways glance, which I returned. I knew he was doing great, he kicked my ass almost every day at training. “Thanks,” he replied to Lazard humbly.

“I have received new intelligence from the Turks.” Lazard changed the subject, his gaze sweeping back towards his First Class. Genesis looked a little bored, standing there with his arms folded over his chest. “New troops have been assembling outside of Wutai.”

“Troops?” Angeal questioned, concern evident in his voice. “They are preparing for war then?”

“That is what we believe, yes. I need you to take Zack and investigate. We need to know their next move. We can’t risk them to take the first. You will leave tonight.”

“Awyeah!” Zack cheered, earning him some questioning looks.

“Good job, Zack,” I encouraged him. The fact that he was invited to go on a mission was a big thing and however happy I was for Zack, I’d have been lying if I claimed I didn’t feel a little disappointed, and maybe even a little jealous. As Second Class, I assumed he’d been out on missions before, but it wasn’t a done deal. Of course, going on your first mission ever was the most exciting thing. Nothing compared to that. I could only hope that moment would come for me soon, although I would probably be pretty useless. Now that I had seen these men in action, if only in TC, I knew for a fact I would never compare to them, no matter how many Mako treatments or how much training I got.

“Sorry, rookie.” Angeal said to me sympathetically, obviously feeling bad for me.

“That’s alright, Sir, there will be a next time.” I wanted to reassure him, it wasn’t his decision after all.

“I apologize, Eden,” Lazard said to me. “It’s too much for Angeal to attend to both pupils at once, especially on something as important as this, and we need someone more experienced on this matter. So, you won’t be going with Angeal.”

“I understand, Director,” I stated quietly.

“Which is why you will be joining Sephiroth and Genesis to the underwater reactor at Junon.”

“Sir?” Disbelief was clearly stated in my voice. And not only on mine. Zack’s jaw dropped in surprise. Had I heard that right?

Lazard chuckled at the puzzled look on my face. “They’re experienced enough to take you under their wing. I’m sure they can handle you between the both of them.” He looked at me bemusedly when I still wasn’t catching up to what he was saying. It almost sounded as if he said I would be going on my first mission as SOLDIER. Surely-- “I think you need some field experience and I believe this is a good way to learn. Just watch closely and don’t get in their way unnecessarily.”

I almost tripped over my tongue in my haste to answer. “Yes, Sir, I won’t, Sir. I won’t let you down, Sir.” I couldn’t believe it; this was really happening, and with both Sephiroth and Genesis no less.

They had actually agreed to take me along, even though they had absolutely no need for me.

“Good,” Lazard said. “I trust you do your best on your first mission.”

“Absolutely.” The smile couldn’t be wiped off my face by anything, not even Sephiroth’s cold eyes. I felt them hover on me for a moment, but I didn’t dare look him in the eyes in fear of seeing doubt. Had they been reluctant to let me come along, or had they simply accepted? I decided I didn’t want to know.

“You will receive details on the chopper, Genesis will fill you in,” Lazard concluded. “Now, Zack, Eden, I want to speak with my First Class, you are dismissed.” His tone was kind, but final.

“Thank you, Sir,” Zack and I spoke in unison, and we left with a respectful nod of our heads.

I had barely closed the door behind my ass when Zack freaked out over me, he seemed just as happy for me as I was. I had the awkward feeling everyone inside Lazard’s office was able to hear the explosion coming from the hallway and I felt slightly embarrassed.

“Jeez, Zack, move, before they change their mind.” I pushed him along by the arm, trying to get to the elevator as fast as possible. Not even that damn elevator could break my spirit right now.

* * * * *

Angeal and Zack had left that evening, but I wasn’t going anywhere until the following morning. So, I decided it had been too long since my last training session and I really wanted to test my new Mako skills. The fact that I didn’t feel any different, didn’t mean that I wouldn’t be able to tell the difference while fighting.

After seeing Lazard, Zack had thrown a small party in the SOLDIER common room for me and then I had seen them off, wishing them a safe journey. During the party he’d introduced me to some other Second and Third Class and for once I managed to have conversations that didn’t start with; ‘Go home before you break a nail.’

Once Zack and Angeal were gone I went down to the cafeteria for dinner, which wasn’t impressive due to the fact Zack had arranged bowls full of snacks not even two hours ago. After staring at my plate for half an hour, I chucked the contents in the bin, gathered my gear and took off for TC. My body was screaming to test my new skills.

Through the glass in the door I could see the large room was currently being occupied by two of the other SOLDIER Third Class, so I decided to wait for them to finish. They hadn’t been present at the party, and I figured they’d been here for a while in that case. Hopefully they were almost done and about to leave for the cafeteria to have dinner. As I waited outside, the door opened.

A head poked out around the corner, and a boy my age with black hair and green Mako eyes smiled at me. He must have spotted me through the window when I’d looked inside. My eyes narrowed in response, thinking there was something unnatural about the way he carried his smile. “Hey, Eden, care to join us?” He spoke to me like I was his friend, but I’d never seen him before. I wondered how he even knew my name, since I had never spoken to him. Then again, I was the only girl around, and news traveled fast.

I’d been looking forward to training by myself for a change, and my feeling of unease only grew when the boy stepped outside, his blond friend following at his heels. They looked like yin and yang, their hair colors clashing like day and night. “I hate being a third wheel, sorry, boys,” I replied.

The black haired boy scoffed mockingly, taking an arrogant stance a few feet from me. “Oh come on, are you scared?”

“Scared?”

The other boy joined by his side, but his smirk was less natural. It was obvious which of these two was the real asshole and which one was the minion. “Yeah,” He pointed out. “Scared you can’t handle the two of us. Worried about getting your perfect skin ripped open?” They snickered as they looked at each other.

“Thank you for the compliment,” I answered, thinking to myself it was useless to even respond to this. It was only going to end badly, again. I’d had my share of detentions and now was the time to leave that behind and be the professional I was. But damn it, these guys would never stop provoking me, forcing me to prove myself. Hadn’t I done that already?

“That wasn’t a compliment,” said the asshole.

“Duh,” I mumbled. “I think I’ll pass.”

“Well, in that case, we’ll be using this simulation all evening, so you’ll have to come back tomorrow,” they laughed again, sounding even nastier than before.

Tomorrow? I had better things to do tomorrow. In fact--

“I’ll be going on a mission tomorrow, _with Genesis and the General_ , so be my guest and spend the night here if you will, just know that all you will get to learn from is some computer telling you how to lift your sword.” I should have known better than to let them provoke me, but I simply couldn’t help sneering at them.

Their smiles faltered at my remark. They knew Third Class rarely went on missions at all, only minor things, and the fact that I was a woman and very fresh from the academy didn’t help either.

“You’re lying,” the blond one said, his eyes full of jealousy and possibly contempt.

“Maybe, maybe not. Guess you’ll see tomorrow, won’t you?” I replied, keeping a casual demeanor. My words however, had done the trick, and the boys were starting to get riled.

“They wouldn’t take you! You don’t even have a sword.” The dark haired boy narrowed his eyes at me, demanding the truth with a single look. But, I wasn’t impressed.

“Then at least I can skip the lesson on how to raise it,” I challenged, against better judgment enjoying the effect my words had on them.

His eyes turned darker, the shift in his demeanor almost palpable. “I know how to raise my sword, and I’m not talking about this one,” he waved his blade in my face as they both laughed at his remark. “Would you like me to show you?” he added, taking a step towards me.

Was this guy for real? I closed my eyes and prayed for patience. “Please step away from me,” I stated. It wasn’t a request, it was a warning, one of three he was going to get.

“Or what? You’ll stick me with your pig-stickers?” He came closer again, forcing me to step back until I hit the wall. He placed his hand on the wall beside my head and brought his face closer. His breath brushed over my face, playing with my bangs. “Am I supposed to be scared now?”

I turned my head to the side to break eye contact and gnashed my teeth. “You really don’t want me cornered,” I warned him a second time, trying hard to keep myself from butting him in the face. Even though they looked fit and were clearly more experienced than I was, I wasn’t afraid. However, I would not let these assholes ruin my first mission before it had even started.

While the black haired boy moved in even closer, the tip of his nose almost touching mine, his friend hovered somewhere behind him, watching the interaction with keen interest in his blue eyes.

“I know you’re Third Class,” the boy whispered to me, his voice dark and suggestive. “But what I’m curious about, is how you managed to do it. Who did you have to _do_ to get here, huh? Was it Lazard? That would be disgusting wouldn’t it, Eddy?” he asked his friend, who laughed and shivered extravagantly.

I looked the boy in front of me straight in the eye, feeling my own eyes shoot fire at him. To even suggest that I had done something like that-- No worse, the fact that they suggested something like that about their superior, about someone as kind as Lazard, was beyond rude.

Then my body was completely encased against the wall when the boy’s other hand was placed beside my head. His threat was clear now, there was no way to misinterpret his intentions anymore.

“I won’t ask you again, shitface,” I growled. “Back off.” I’d never liked being touched, and I didn’t like being trapped or forced to do things I didn’t want to do. I was a rebel at heart, and he was about to be very sorry for ever cutting across my path and deciding to rise to the challenge.

“No, not Lazard…” he answered himself when I didn’t answer his question, completely oblivious to the tension that was building in my body and about to be released. “ _You_ could surely do better than that. How about…Sephiroth? Haha, yeah, I think he might be into that.” He was laughing out loud now, throwing his head back in a bark, but I had had enough.

Insulting me was one thing, and I was definitely able to defend myself, but speaking like that about Lazard and the General behind their back…I was no longer able to control my anger.

I knocked his arm away, grabbed the other, threw his sad sack of bones over my back and onto the floor. I placed my boot on his back and twisted his hand. The crack was heard all the way down the corridor and the other boy jumped at the painful sound. It had happened too fast for him to even do something about it, but he now advanced on me as the other boy lay screaming on the floor, clutching his arm. Truthfully, it had all happened too fast for me too, and the feeling of bone breaking in my grip had startled me. I hadn’t meant to put so much speed and force into it, and I had surprised even myself. Obviously, this Mako enhanced body took some time getting used to.

I shot a warning glare at the boy as he advanced on me, but this ‘Eddy’ wasn’t going to play fair, he really wanted me hurt. He drew his sword and charged at me. My fists flew up in reflex and I managed to block the blade with my gloves, but my legs were kicked away from underneath me. The boy on the floor had recovered from the initial shock, and had swung out a foot to bring me down while I was defending myself. I hadn’t wanted to use my sais, but now I regretted my generosity. The back of my head smacked against the hard floor, and he clumsily crawled on top of me, cradling his injured arm close to his chest. The other moved fast, positioning himself by my head to pin down my arms. He yanked them up roughly and sat on them with his knees. Stabbing pain flared up in my wrists, but I refused to give either of them the satisfaction of hearing me cry out. I threw my leg up and kicked the boy behind me in the head, but he recovered swiftly and pressed a blade against my throat, causing me to instantly go still underneath them.

“So,” the boy with the broken arm panted in my face, while he leaned on his good arm. “You will really regret that, honey.” He sat up and punched me in the face with so much force I could feel my nose break on impact.

This time, I did make a sound, unable to hold it in. The blade pressed harder against my skin and Eddy giggled madly as it drew blood.

“You’re really not all that, are you?” The boy on top of me taunted. “I guess I was right, then. Did he string you up on his six foot sword?” They both laughed again, and I was repulsed by their disrespect for our superior. I felt his hand on my waist and I struggled again, but the blade dug deeper into my throat. “What’s he into? Did he tie you to the bed?” he sneered while his hand moved up my side, higher, towards my chest. Oh, Gods, what had I gotten myself into this time?

“I would strongly advise you to remove yourself from that girl,” a firm voice suddenly said, and I recognized it instantly as being Sephiroth’s.

The boy on top of me froze and we all turned our heads. He stood at the end of the hallway by the elevators, his face like steel, his eyes cold and calculating as ever.

“Sir,” I breathed. I had never been so happy to see him. Right then, he was my guardian angel. Then I realized what this must look like and my face grew red.

The boys scrambled away from me as if they were being whipped and the blade disappeared from my throat. I sat up and clutched it, feeling blood ooze out. Or maybe it was the blood coming from my nose.

Sephiroth stepped closer towards us, threat seeping from hisvery presence. With the way he moved, it was more than obvious that someone was about to get in serious trouble, and I felt myself getting very afraid. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one. The boys dropped their heads, too afraid to even look at him.

Sephiroth halted and let his cold eyes graze over them for a moment, calmly taking in the situation. Then he grabbed the boy’s broken arm in what must have been a steel grip, for he screamed in agony. “Make your way up to the Director’s office, Xander, I will deal with you there.” He released him and stared him down, daring him to object.

The boy’s whimpering and squirming almost made me feel sorry for him. Almost.

“Yes, Sir.” Xander hung his head in shame and practically ran from the scene, no doubt glad he was freed of those cold eyes. Eddy followed without even being told so.

Sephiroth dropped his gaze to where I still sat on the ground, clutching my neck. “Explain,” he simply said.

I looked up at him, not sure what to say. Didn’t he see I was bleeding here? My nose got rearranged and he wanted me to explain what had clearly been an attack on yours truly. There was no need to be so icy. Was he even capable of kindness?

He suddenly reached down and pulled me up by the arm. Though I have to say, a lot gentler than he had handled Xander. “Eden.” He shook me from my daze.

“Uh…”

His features softened a bit when he saw me struggling for words. “What happened?” his tone was a lot softer too, putting me a little more at ease.

Even if I were to explain this to him, what was I supposed to say? They implied I slept with you to get accepted into SOLDIER? They suggested you’d tied me to the bed and had your way with me? Hell no.

“I…” I hesitated. “I got into a fight, Sir.”

“A fight? Is this about you trying to prove yourself again? You expect me to take you on a mission, if you can’t even keep yourself under control?” He didn’t sound angry, though I was sure he was. His tone was disapproving, disappointed even. Which was worse than him getting angry.

“No, Sir, it wasn’t. They jested me and advanced on me. I asked them repeatedly to back off.” That had been what happened, right? This Xander boy had obviously ignored my warnings.

“And they didn’t?” Sephiroth asked me. He was still calm, but something told me he wouldn’t be very happy with where the story was going. His green eyes were traveling over my features, and I was once again reminded of the fact how beautiful a man he was. I fought the blush that threatened to rise to my cheeks, and focused on the matter at hand, which was try to find a way to make it out of this without being absolutely slaughtered by the General.

“I had to defend myself,” I replied stubbornly, hoping he would see reason in what I had done.

“Who struck first?” he asked.

His question caught me by surprise a little. “Excuse me?”

“Who started the fight, Fox?” The way he’d asked it made me think he already knew the answer to that question, and he was simply giving me the chance to explain myself.

I felt my chances of going on my first mission tomorrow diminish by the second. This was not looking good for me. After all, I had been the first one who had gotten physical. He waited for me to break the silence, giving me the time to reply.

I raised my head higher, refusing to show shame. “I did, Sir.”

“I see. I shall inform Lazard about this. You should make new plans for tomorrow, you won’t be joining me in Junon.” With that, he turned on his heels and stalked away.

This was wrong! I had tried so hard to prevent this.

“I was only defending you, Sir!” I called after him and he stopped in his tracks. The words had tumbled from my mouth before my brain had processed them, and now I mentally slapped myself for uttering them. Could this get any more embarrassing? He’d demand an explanation now, and he appeared to be the kind of man who could tell when you where lying. His eyes could pierce right through your soul.

Sephiroth turned around to face me. “Defending me?” His brow rose in question.

What had I done? Why was I such an idiot. If only I’d kept my mouth shut and accepted the reprimand, I wouldn’t have been in this awkward situation. Yes, what those boys had done was wrong, but Sephiroth had been right; I had been the first one to strike and if he thought I deserved to be punished for that, I should have left it at that. Instead, I had to go tell him what the boys had said about him and Lazard. My father always said that the connection between brain and mouth was never formed with me, and at this point, I agreed with him wholeheartedly.

I closed my eyes and cursed under my breath. “Yes, Sir. They were insulting the Director and you.”

He moved back towards me, his long powerful legs carrying him over to me in three strides. “What did they say, that was so bad you thought it justified to break a man’s arm?”

I hadn’t meant breaking Xander’s arm, but something told me that telling Sephiroth that wouldn’t make a difference. He didn’t strike me as the kind of person who cared for such excuses. In fact, was he the kind of man who cared for his honor? Would he even understand why I had acted? The very thought of telling him made my stomach churn.

“I…I can’t repeat what they said.”

“You can’t, or you won’t?”

I shook my head at him. “I won’t. It’s too embarrassing. But he cornered me against the wall, and failed to react to my warnings.”

Sephiroth took another step towards me, invading my personal space. His energy was enough to send anyone reeling, and I took a step back on instinct. He towered over me, he was too tall and too much a presence to stand this close to without feeling intimidated. Something told me he knew that. This was a man who was very aware of himself, his surroundings, and the way he affected others. Calling him arrogant had been wrong. With him, it was purely self-knowledge; he had a right to be arrogant.

He ignored the way I distanced myself from him. “If you still wish to join me tomorrow, you will tell me what they said.”

“Why is that so important?” I asked him, my voice a little harsher than I had meant for it to be.

Instead of getting angry, he simply answered. “I am very selective about the people I work with.” Meaning if he couldn’t trust me, I’d be screwed for life.

All the possible outcomes ran through my mind, and I realized thinking things over had never been one of my talents. Ever since I’d been a young girl, I had simply acted without thinking, and it had gotten me into trouble more than once. It had even gotten my father into trouble more than once, something he still liked to rub in every now and then. But for once, I took the time to think of my options. The worst that would happen to me if I told Sephiroth what the boys had said, would be that I’d feel incredibly embarrassed. They, on the other hand, would probably be in a lot more trouble than that.

“I don’t want them to get fired,” I replied.

“That’s not up to you, Eden.”

I bit my lip and considered for a moment. Wouldn’t it be better if they were gone? Wouldn’t it be their own fault? “They…they questioned my manner of becoming SOLDIER, Sir. They said I might have…used you or Lazard and suggested disgusting things about you that I really refuse to repeat. It was tremendously disrespectful to your position and you personally and I felt they had gone too far.”

He stared at me for a moment, his emotions impossible to read. “You felt they had?”

I inwardly sighed in relief. He hadn’t asked me any specifics and he hadn’t made me feel even more awkward than I already did. His tone even suggested that I might actually be slowly winning him over.

“Yes, Sir, there’s a line you don’t cross,” I explained. “You made that very clear to me last week.”

“I remember,” he replied, referring to my ass-whooping in TC. “But it’s not your place to discipline your fellow Third Class.”

“Angeal taught me to defend honor at all times,” I replied stubbornly.

“I’m not sure this is what he meant,” Sephiroth said calmly.

Even though his emotions were difficult to read, --if he even had any-- I risked a chuckle and wiped some more blood off my face. The atmosphere had changed now and I felt free to move again. “I apologize, Sir, for having started this fight, but I don’t regret it. Those bastards had it coming.” Did I just say that?

“I understand your situation, Eden. If Lazard would decide for them to stay, you will come to me instead, if such a situation occurs ever again. Are we clear?”

“Crystal clear, Sir.” I fought back a smile and managed to keep my face in check.

“Good. Now, I have to go clean up your mess upstairs. I would advise you to head to the infirmary, but I know you don’t really accept advice, so it’s an order. Make sure to be ready tomorrow morning.”

Now I did smile, he seemed to know me better than I thought, which was pretty impressive, in such a short time. “Yes, thank you.”

He nodded and made to leave, before he halted and spoke over his shoulder. “Note that it is appreciated, what you did here.”

His gratitude rooted me to the spot. Having him thank me was the last thing I had expected him to do, especially since I hadn’t expected to even make it out of this one alive. I knew he didn’t mean that I had done the right thing, but he still appreciated the gesture. It was kind of him to say so.

“Any time, Sir, after all, I’m the only one who’s allowed to insult you and live to tell the tale.” I laughed.

“Don’t push it, Eden,” he said, but I also noticed a small smile gracing his lips before he walked away.

It suited him, that smile. It made me feel warm inside.


	6. Chapter 6

I had gone to the infirmary directly after and was healed quickly and easily. Shinra healers knew their materia, which was the fastest way to get healed. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the end of it. As I was making my way back to my quarters to put an end to this horrible day, my phone rang. It was Lazard, he wanted to see me in his office. Dang it. The Director’s voice had been devoid of emotion, and I couldn’t tell whether he was angry with me or not. Even though Sephiroth had understood and allowed me to join him tomorrow, Lazard could still decide differently. I sighed and took the stairs one more story up and took another deep breath before knocking on the door.

“Come in.”

I stepped into the office, slightly worried for my future. Before, as a Cadet, I had fought a lot and received several penalties, but now, as SOLDIER, it was not okay to lose my temper anymore. As I had found out the hard way about an hour ago, I wielded a lot more power now than before the Mako enhancements and I was still testing it.

My palms were a little sweaty, and I quickly clasped my hands behind my back to keep them from shaking.

Lazard wasn’t the only one inside the office; Sephiroth was leaning on Lazard’s desk, composed as ever. The corners of his lush mouth curled up in a subtle, encouraging smile; it vanished as soon as it had come, but I knew I’d seen it. The small gesture gave me a strange sense of support, comforting me even though I had this coming.

“Eden,” Lazard acknowledged me from behind his desk. Xander and Eddy stood side by side rigidly, staring straight ahead. When I took up position beside Xander, I noticed a small drop of sweat make its way down the side of his face. There was a vein thumping in his neck, giving away his obvious anxiety. It served him right. When my eyes shifted over to Lazard, he didn’t smile, but he didn’t seem angry either. During the few times that I’d met him, it had become clear to me that he was a reasonable man, and he wouldn’t jump to conclusions without getting to the bottom of things. I considered myself lucky to beworking for someone so principled. “Sephiroth has informed me of your side of the story, these two, however, share a different opinion of what happened.” He looked at me intently as he spoke.

So what cock and bull story had they been telling him? In any case, it was my word against theirs, and my history of causing trouble didn’t work in my favor. So instead of ranting about my side of the story, I didn’t respond at all. I didn’t even know what to say. And that’s saying something.

“Eden?”

“What do you want me to say, Sir?”

“Do you know what these men have told me?”

“Obviously not,” I answered, feeling a little disgruntled. I also had to prevent myself from laughing at the word ‘men’. These weren’t men, they were just boys, and losers at that. This wasn’t the right moment to correct him though.

“This is no laughing matter, Eden,” he said resolutely. His eyes were piercing me, even as his face was neutral. “I’m about to send you off on a mission with two of my best, I can’t afford a weak link in my group.” I had never heard him speak so sternly and I was getting worried. This was injustice. Okay, maybe I shouldn’t have broken Xander’s arm, but I couldn’t have possibly known what would have happened if I had let them have their way.

“I am not weak, Sir. If anything, I believe them to be the weak link in this group, and it is my opinion that disrespect for their superiors in these corridors, will only result in disrespect for them when in the field.” I spoke without thinking, as always, just speaking my mind. “Sir,” I added. Like the boys, I was staring straight ahead, trying hard to keep a professional composure. Sephiroth’s eyes were on me, I could almost feel them burning my skin, but I refused to make contact with him.

“Wise words, Third Class Eden,” Lazard replied. “Still, what these men have told me, is that you were terrorizing them.”

A scoff almost made its way past my lips, but I managed at least some damage control. The audacity of these guys to make up a lie like that. Not only had they lied about me, they had lied to their superior. These were the kind of people that were sent out there on missions?

“Did the General leave out the part where they worked me to the ground, straddled me and pressed a blade to my throat?” My anger was beginning to show, wasn’t this situation as simple as could be?

“He didn’t,” Lazard simply answered. “Do you feel something worse might have happened, had he not interfered?”

I recalled the way Xander’s hand had snaked up my body, and an involuntary shiver ran down my back. With the way they had been holding me down, they could have done anything they wanted. The only stupid mistake they had made was doing it outside in the hallway. “I have no doubt, Sir.”

Xander shot me a sideways glance at that, and responded in kind, making sure he knew I wasn’t intimidated. His kind of guy could be found anywhere; the type that wanted to dominate and have things his way, so they bully people and force them into submission. He quickly looked away from my smoldering glare.

“Very well,” the Director said. “We’ll have to resort to different means for finding out the truth. Fortunately for us, we have camera footage.” Oh, seriously… I really hoped the cameras were silent. To have to hear that conversation again was too embarrassing. Of course, cameras couldn’t lie. “Let’s get this cleared up properly, shall we?” Lazard continued.

“That’s…a great idea, Sir,” I agreed, feeling a little apprehensive, though I knew I’d gotten my facts straight.

All through this whole ordeal, Xander and Eddy hadn’t said anything, but it was obvious they were getting extremely nervous. Not only was there more sweat running down Xander’s face, he swallowed hard beside me, trying to rid himself of his dry mouth. On his other side, Eddy let out a soft whimper, and his gaze had fallen to the floor by now. I barely fought back a smirk when I realized Sephiroth seemed to notice this too. He raised a curious eyebrow at their sudden change in stance. My worries faded to the background. Let’s see about this now boys, I thought, let’s wait and see.

Sephiroth’s eyes remained on the boys while Lazard worked the system, watching them intently. Xander and Eddy started to squirm under his stare, and their eyes darted all around the room, but never settled on him. This man was no fool, he always seemed to know everything. Then, when the footage popped up, he finally turned and shifted his gaze towards the screen.

My heart beat like crazy while we watched what I was sure was an obvious situation. I tried to remember what exactly had happened, hoping the footage showed the same film that was in my mind.

The recording started a short while before something happened, and began with my waiting outside TC, leaning back against the wall beside the door. Soon, the door opened and Xander appeared. It wasn’t long after that when they both stepped outside and the situation got out of hand fast. Easily, I could see them taunting me again, answered by my indifference, I had even tried to be polite. The Director glanced at Xander for a second, before fixing his gaze back on the screen. The boys hadn’t taken the hint, and had moved in on me. Even then, with my back against the wall, I’d turned my head away and kept my temper in check. Maybe it was unfortunate there was no sound on the footage, or they all could have understood why I had done what I had done next. I have to admit, it looked quite impressive, the way I wiped the floor with him in barely a second. In any other situation I would’ve cheered over it, but, now was definitely not the time for that.

I believe it might have been in my advantage, that even then I had refrained from using my weapons, especially when Eddy had attacked me. When he’d swung his blade at me, I had simply blocked him and had made no preparative to attack him in return. And then, I was on the ground, with the two boys keeping me in place and Xander breaking my nose. Shortly after that, Sephiroth walked into frame, and I felt slightly embarrassed to find he had seen Xander’s hand roam. I had had no idea he had been standing there already.

Then the footage was over and the screen turned black.

I had expected Lazard to say many things, but not the words that followed. “You have kept your and SOLDIER’s honor high, Eden, I thank you. You may go. I have some unfinished business to attend to with my men.” His eyes moved away from me, and settled on the boys. They turned cold as steel as he looked at them.

Sephiroth’s eyes however, were settled on me, and if I hadn’t been so relieved at being dismissed, I might have taken some time to wonder what he was thinking.

Th-Thank you, Sir,” I stuttered instead, before quickly taking my leave from the office.

As I lay in bed that night, I still couldn’t believe my luck. It was obvious to me Sephiroth had told Lazard what I had told him, and I was grateful for it, and grateful for the discretion they had showed.

It seemed Sephiroth wasn’t such a cold guy after all.

I was really looking forward to tomorrow.

* * * * *

The next morning, I had received a text from Zack, saying everything was going swell and he had killed 20+ monsters on their way through the mountains. I had sent him a return message, asking him how many Angeal had killed, to which I received no answer, but a -_- face. It had made me laugh.

Next, I had quickly packed and gotten ready, before making my way down to the cafeteria. It was still early, and most others had still been sleeping, or just waking up, but I was too hyped to stay in bed.

“Grab something on the go, we’re leaving,” Genesis spoke from behind me as I stood by the counter to fill my plate.

His sudden presence startled me so much that I closed my fist in reflex, crushing my egg in the palm of my hand. I wasn’t that hungry anyway. “Breakfast on the go?” I asked him a little bewildered. “That’s not cool.”

“Should’ve gotten here earlier then, right?” he teased, his lips curling up into a playful smile.

“I got up at five,” I stated dryly.

He shrugged and pointed at the chocobo salad sandwich on my plate. “Grab that and come with me, I’ll fill you in on the way.” He spun and made for the door. His stride was fast, and I had to jog a few paces every now and then, while stuffing my mouth. Eating and walking at the same time was obviously not one of my talents. What was the hurry? While passing a table, I tossed the plate aside, holding the sandwich in my hands as I followed on his heels. “Sephiroth has already gone ahead, we’ll meet him there.” He didn’t look back to see whether I was keeping up with him, apparently he simply expected me to attach myself to him and follow him around like a duckling.

I was too busy chewing to object. After a while, I gave up and threw my sandwich in the trash. I wasn’t that hungry anyway. “Sir, what will we be doing at the reactor?” Only now did I realize that I had no idea what was going on, all that Lazard had said was that Genesis would give me the details this morning.

Genesis’ stride didn’t falter as he answered, stepping confidently down the hall and into the elevator. “It appears some sabotage has been going on, it’s our job to find out whether this is true, and who has been causing the malfunctions.”

I didn’t know the first thing about reactors or malfunctions, all I knew was that reactors processed Mako and turned it into consumable energy. It did strike me as odd though that someone managed to sabotage it somehow. Weren’t there security programs for such things? The thing was under water after all.

“But, no one can just enter the underwater reactor, right?”

“True,” Genesis agreed with me. “Which makes us extra suspicious.” He stopped in his tracks and faced me. “Are you willing to do whatever is necessary?” He patiently awaited my reply.

“Meaning?”

He stepped closer to me and lowered his voice. “It’s possible one of our own is doing this. Someone from the inside.”

It wasn’t unlikely that he was right about that. Since Shinra security was always tight, and their technology state of the art, it seemed almost impossible to me that someone from the outside had managed to get in undetected. Without any inside help, that is. In which case, his question was more than justified. The elevator dinged and the doors slid open, giving us access to the helipad.

“You mean to ask if I would take him out?” My voice was barely more than a whisper, though we were standing in an abandoned hallway together, with no one in sight. He stared at me, the answer obvious in his bright blue eyes. Was this my first test? Had the evaluation already begun? “I’m ready to do whatever the situation calls for, Sir,” I told him while the wind whipped my hair around my face.

“Good,” he beamed. “Then we have nothing to worry about.” To my surprise, he swung an arm around my neck and pulled me outside with him. If he noticed my discomfort, he ignored it. “I heard you got yourself into trouble last night,” he stated while we made our way to the helicopter.

What? What was so important about what happened that they felt the need to inform Genesis about it? Hadn’t the situation been embarrassing enough for me?

I quickly removed his arm from around my shoulders. “You guys really don’t know how to keep things to yourself, do you?” I snapped, recalling how Genesis had rattled about my state after getting my Mako treatment.

He grinned, clearly unimpressed by my sudden hostility. In fact, he seemed to be enjoying himself. “We’re friends, Eden, sometimes we need things other than business and Loveless to talk about.”

Loveless? I didn’t care, and I didn’t ask. “I wasn’t aware I was such an interesting subject of discussion.”

“You have no idea.”

His strange reply stopped me in my tracks. I blinked a few times, wondering what the hell that was supposed to mean. He climbed into the chopper with a smile on his face, and held out his hand to aid me like the gentleman he was. Even though it was an act of gallantry, I glared at him when I saw the obvious smirk on his face. Was he testing me?

“Perhaps it’s time to get a life then,” I finally said once I had followed him inside and we’d sat down beside each other.

He leaned into me and smiled. “I’m trying.”

I had no idea what he meant, but it wasn’t my business anyway. Instead, I fell silent and concentrated on the growling of my half empty stomach.

My mind traveled back to the events from yesterday. The fact that either Lazard or Sephiroth had told Genesis was only to be expected. They worked closely together, and since Angeal wasn’t here, it was up to his fellow First Class to keep an eye on me, even if they did it with reluctance. Truthfully, it annoyed me that they had talked about it together, while I had been kept completely in the dark about any repercussions. Whatever had happened to Xander and Eddy, nobody had bothered to tell me. Would Genesis tell me is I asked?

I cleared my throat. “Sir, if you don’t mind, what happened to Xander and Eddy?” Angeal hadn’t even been made aware of the situation, and I wondered what he would say once he found out. Honor was very important to him, and there was no doubt in my mind he would have done anything in his power to protect me.

Beside me, Genesis had procured a book. He’d propped it open on his ankle and had been reading in silence for the past half hour. He didn’t take his eyes off the pages when he answered me. “They have been demoted back to cadet, and they’re lucky that was all.”

The news shocked me a little. Being kicked out was the worst thing that could possibly happen to a SOLDIER. Once you were out, getting back in was almost impossible. I couldn’t help but feel a little bad for them, a good warning might have been enough to prevent such a thing from occurring again. They must be feeling incredibly miserable right now, not to mention angry.

Genesis shifted in his seat and turned towards me, snapping his book shut. He must’ve noticed the look on my face. “I think what you did was memorable, Eden. We could use more people like you. Imagine what might have happened if Seph--”

“Can we focus on the mission, please?” I interrupted him, really not wanting to be reminded of those thoughts. I still felt that hand when I thought about it.

“Eden,” Genesis’ tone was soft, compassionate. It was a far cry from the way he had been teasing me half an hour earlier. “I understand it was bad, but I simply wanted you to know, I am impressed with you.”

“Was about time someone was,” I sneered and it made him smile. Still, his words caused a wave of pride to bubble up inside me. To hear one of the best warriors on the entire planet tell me he was impressed with me… what more could a girl like me want?

“Don’t misunderstand us,” Genesis continued, apparently not done with his compliments. “Angeal has appraised you greatly to Lazard, and you stood your ground against Sephiroth.”

“He could have chopped me up if he wanted,” I pointed out, though I could feel a blush rise to my cheeks.

“Definitely true, but keep going and you’ll be Second in no time.” Even as I wondered why he was being so friendly with me, while we really didn’t get off on a good start, a smile crept onto my face. “Anyway,” He continued, picking up his book to continue where he left off. “I’m expecting a report from Sephiroth anytime now, we’ll go from there.”


	7. Chapter 7

Sephiroth was waiting for us at the reactor entrance inside Junon and I followed them inside while they discussed the matter shortly. I realized how amazing it was they could share so much information by saying so little. It was like they could read each other’s minds. Since I had promised not to get in their way and this was only for my own experience, I just walked behind them in silence.

* * * * *

Junon was most famous for its massive canon; a Shinra built weapon that was almost as tall as the city itself. There were more unique things about the place though, mainly that it was a military city. Shinra had multiple offices here, and the battle ships they owned were birthed in the Junon harbor, waiting to be sent out to war. The city had barracks and training facilities, even many weapon shops. Shinra had a second HQ here, and even owned an infirmary usually solely meant for casualties of war. Junon was made up out of multiple tiers, the buildings connected via alleys and broad streets. I knew my way around the place because I was born and raised here. I’d only left four years ago to join the academy, and had been back on countless occasions, for training or other purposes. Most apartments were small, and actual houses didn’t even exist in a place like Junon. Everything was packed and cramped, stacked on top of each other for maximum efficiency, which was exactly how Shinra liked it.

I received many curious looks from the cadets in Junon, and some even felt the need to make some very vulgar gestures with their tongues. If Genesis and the General hadn’t been present, they probably would have added some hooting to their gestures as well.

“God, I hate being a woman,” I mumbled, but kept my head high.

We stopped in front of a secured door; the entrance to the under water reactor. It was guarded by two cadets on each side, and they carried some mean looking guns.

‘ _Authorized personnel only, trespassers will be shot._ ’ was written on the door in big white letters.

I surely hoped we were authorized, or otherwise ensured. The door opened to us and we stepped inside an elevator that would take us far below sea level. None of the cadets that had escorted us joined us inside, and it reminded me that being SOLDIER First Class was a free pass for life. If you made it to First Class, no one would ever question you, or breathe down your neck.

“Isn’t this your hometown?” Sephiroth asked me as we descended. I wondered how he knew that.

“Yes,” I confirmed with a nod. “Born and raised. My father still lives here. I visit him from time to time.” Actually, I wished I hadn’t said that. The last thing I wanted was for them to think I might do a half-assed job in order to go see my father. Fortunately, they said nothing of it.

“What about your mother?” Genesis asked instead.

My mother. I didn’t think of her very often, but I did each and every time I came to Junon. The older I got, the harder it was for me to remember her, having lost her so young. Sometimes it made me feel guilty to have left my father all to himself. I didn’t have any siblings, and I imagined he might be lonely occasionally. And yet he’d supported my choice to join the academy.

“My mother died when I was a little girl.” Words I’d repeated so often, and each time I did, I secretly hoped that people would let it go and not make a big deal out of it. Sympathy wasn’t something I knew how to handle very well.

“Sorry to hear that,” Genesis said, while looking towards Sephiroth, who’s eyes lingered on me for a moment.

Feeling slightly uneasy, I looked away. Luckily, I was saved by the elevator doors as they opened. I waited for Sephiroth and Genesis to get out. Where exactly my place was in all this was still unclear to me, but for now all I could do was follow their lead and wait for instructions. However much I yearned for some action, I had to be patient. Unfortunately, patience and I were not friends.

As I stepped out, I froze. We found ourselves an underwater tunnel, a massive tube under water, giving one the impression of actually standing at the bottom of the ocean. Fish lazily swam all around us, oblivious to the fact that they were being watched. I could see the coral on the ocean floor, the reefs surrounding Junon. There was so much color in this hidden world, so much life. I’m sure my mouth fell open and I couldn’t take my eyes off the scenerythat was all around me. Which is why I got startled when Sephiroth spoke.

“Move, Eden,” he said over his shoulder.

“Sir… It’s beautiful,” I whispered in awe as I slowly started walking. But as my feet carried me down the tunnel, I still couldn’t tear my eyes away. How many times in a lifetime did you get the chance to see something like this?

“That it is,” he agreed as they stopped by the next door, the actual entrance to the reactor.

In my awe, I hadn’t noticed and stumbled into Genesis, who gently took me by the arm to steady me.

“Pay attention,” Sephiroth warned and I felt my face flush at his reprimand.

“Give her a moment, Sephiroth,” Genesis argued with a chuckle. “She loves the beauty of it all. It’s something you could never understand.”

Sephiroth raised an eyebrow. “No? How could I not, when you bestow me with your Loveless all day?”

“And you still don’t appreciate it the way I do, my friend,” Genesis grinned.

“I can appreciate beauty,” Sephiroth stated dryly, and I thought it sounded really eerie coming from him. I also failed to miss the split second in which his eyes flickered in my direction. Had I just imagined it?

Genesis snickered. “Of course you can.”

Somehow, I had the feeling the two of them were talking about something other than the view, but since I felt like I was butting in on a private conversation between two friends, I kept my mouth shut and didn’t ask.

Genesis moved through the door, where we were greeted by an eerie blue/green light. It reminded me of Mako, which was, of course, exactly what this was. Now that the initial shock was over, I paid close attention to what was going on.

“Eden, look at this,” he said.

He was crouched behind the reactor itself, investigating something. I crouched down next to him and he pointed at thick rubbery tubes leaving the reactor and disappearing into the floor. “What do you see?” he asked me.

I studied them for a while, at first not noticing anything strange. Then, my eye caught the same thing he had discovered. “They’re leaking,” I stated and pointed them out. “These three are inflated.”

“Good call. But what are they leaking into…?” he mumbled to himself.

“Wouldn’t the right question be, where are they leaking, Sir?” I asked him carefully.

“Not necessarily.” Sephiroth answered in his stead. “If Mako is leaking into vital parts of the reactor, we’re standing inside a time bomb.”

I blinked at him. “But, if we find out where they’re leaking, wouldn’t we also know what it’s leaking into?”

“So you suggest we crawl through four foot thick floors and ceilings to follow the tubes to find out where the leaks are? Highly inadvisable, not to mention time consuming. Genesis, shut it down, let’s not waste any more time on this.” His explanation was patient, but sounded nothing short of final. Yet, I didn’t agree with his logic. If this thing really was a ticking time bomb, then it might be a danger to Junon and it was our job to prevent any casualties. We had to find the leak.

I got to my feet and moved to leave.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Sephiroth demanded, not sounding all too friendly.

“To find the leaks, Sir.”

“Did I not just say it’s a waste of time?” He was looking at me as if he weren’t sure I had any brain cells at all.

Genesis was watching the exchange with a bemused look on his face, but he kept himself out of it.

“If you cut off the stream, the residue inside the tubes will still flow,” I argued. “So this potential hazard won’t be stopped by shutting down the reactor.” Did he not see this, or was he testing me?

“She has a point,” Genesis pointed out as as he got to his feet.

“Sir, if you let me, I’ll crawl into the floor, I’m small enough to fit in. At least let me try.”

Sephiroth stared at me, apparently thinking it over. He moved to the vent in the floor and pulled it off effortlessly. “Genesis, shut down the reactor. Stay here with Eden, I’ll check the floor below. Perhaps it’s leaking further down.”

I felt good about my input, at least I didn’t feel completely useless. Before I jumped into the hole, I handed Genesis my sais, they would only get in the way. I dropped myself inside which ended up in a coughing fit, with so much dust flying around.

“This place really needs a housekeeper,” I rasped, earning a dry chuckle from Sephiroth himself.

“Let me know if you find anything. Genesis, guide her,” I heard him say from above me. Then I heard his footsteps move away, and I was alone with Genesis.

“I’ll just knock, shall I?” I replied as I started crawling through the maze of cables and tubes. With every move I got stuck, making me feel like a puppet. I’d never been claustrophobic, but if Genesis hadn’t been with me, I might have panicked. The crawlspace was very dark and dusty, and my fingers kept brushing things I didn’t want to identify. The reactor had to be somewhere in the middle of the room, but I’d already lost all sense of direction. The only giving me any indication of where I was, was the sound of Gensis’ voice.

“You see anything?” he called down into the hole after I’d been struggling some time.

“Yeah,” I grumbled moodily, getting stuck on every move.

“And?”

“That this ain’t four feet.” Suddenly, I screamed as three living came flying by, scurrying over my fingers. Get a grip, Eden.

“Need some help?” I could just hear the mock in his voice.

“Yeah, I’m looking for some tubes, I though I might find them here. Make yourself useful up there!” I yelled back at him.

“I need an indication of where you are.”

I rolled my eyes and struggled onto my back, entangling myself some more. This had been the worst idea of my life. I nearly kicked through the ceiling to make my point. At least now he knew where I was.

“Just two feet ahead, and you’re there.” His voice was right above me now, muffled by the ceiling.

I struggled back onto my stomach with a lot of moaning and groaning, but it changed into a scream when a blade appeared three inches from my right, widened eyeball. “What the hell!”

The blade was yanked back down into the steel underneath me, tearing a small hole. Sephiroth’s eyes peered up at me from the floor below. “Why are you making so much noise?”

“Why are you trying to stab my eye?”

“If I had wanted to, I would have. I’ve found the leak,” he stated, completely ignorant to the fact he had nearly decapitated me.

“Oh, man!” I gasped. “What did I go jumping into the floor for again?”

“Get down here.”

It was going to be a real struggle getting back to the hole, there was no way I was turning myself around in this place. And it had been for nothing. If I had had more space, I would’ve facepalmed myself. Instead, I dropped my forehead on the steel floor with a deep sigh, blowing dust in every direction as I did so. That sight turned into a great yelp, as the floor was pulled out from underneath me. I landed hard on the ground below, and had another coughing fit. I looked up to see Sephiroth standing over me, actually laughing. It was sort of a sadistic laugh, but he was laughing.

“You were lying on a vent. I figured you’d be out sooner this way. You’re very welcome.”

“Yeah, thanks,” I growled, trying to untangle myself from all the wires I had yanked down with me. “I thought this was a serious matter, _Sir_.”

“It is. But it’s no reason for not having a bit of fun.” There was still a smile plastered on his face, a smile I hadn’t seen on him before. It made me think he needed to smile more.

“Can’t really imagine _you_ having fun…” I mumbled as finally got up. Then I realized something. “You just let me go into that hole to punish me for arguing with you, didn’t you?” It wasn’t really a question.

He laughed again and left to find Genesis. His face was all the answer I needed. Good thing was, at least this time he had only tried to kill me once.

“So, are we going to fix it, or what?” I asked when I re-entered the room. I had been waiting down there for minutes, without anyone coming back. It took me that long to realize he had left me there.

“No,” Sephiroth simply stated, not even looking up when I came barging in. He was studying the reactor computer, while Genesis sat on the floor eating an apple.

“Are you serious?” I argued against better judgment. He’d punished me for arguing with him only minutes ago, and here I was doing it again. “What about this thing being a time bomb?”

Sephiroth shot me a look that said it all. By now he must be wondering whether I was even an intelligent life form. “We’re not repair-men,” he said coolly. “We’re only here to determine what happened. That is all.”

“And what happened?”

“The tubes were sabotaged. It wasn’t caused by any malfunction itself.”

“What does that mean?” I asked him as I stood beside him at the screen.

“It means…” He tapped a few buttons and the maintenance history popped up. “Someone had access to the computer,” Sephiroth finished.

Right away, I noticed the reactor was set to overflow. The tubes had burst under the pressure and had spilled a lot of Mako onto the floor below. It was now seeping through the vents and floors towards the bottom of the reactor.

“It’s encoded, right?” I asked him.

“It is,” Genesis said in between bites. “Which has only confirmed our suspicions of someone from the inside doing this.”

“Or, someone who managed to get their hands on the code,” I corrected him.

“And how would they even get into this reactor, if they’re not from Shinra?” Genesis asked. “Security is high around this place, with all these terrorists trying to take down Shinra.”

Lately, Shinra had been dealing with Eco-terrorists; a group of fanatics that claimed Shinra was destroying the world by creating consumable energy. Some of these people went far in their beliefs, and they were always on the lookout for ways to sabotage the company. Them having something to do with this was definitely possible.

“Not high enough, apparently,” Sephiroth said while he shut down the console. “I too believe it was someone from Shinra. But, until we investigate further, we have little to report. Eden.”

“Sir?”

“Speak to the guards and find out what you can, then tell them to send repairs. Meet us down at the docks once you’re ready. I expect you to pay close attention from now on, I want you to write the report on our findings when we get back. Is that clear?”

“Yes, Sir, understood. Where will you be going?”

“The docks,” he simply answered, and just like that, he was out the door.

Genesis got to his feet and made a dramatic bow before he too, left. I laughed a little at this, but I was anxious. They wanted me to do this alone? I felt like I had no idea what I was doing, especially after I had just made a fool of myself again. Why were they being so secretive about what they were going to do at the docks? And _I_ had to write that report? _Really_?

This was a test, I knew it. If I was ever going to be First Class, I was just going to have to throw myself at the job, and that was exactly what I was going to do. They probably already thought I was a fool anyway, what more could go wrong? I squared my shoulders, went through the door and down the tunnel. I took a few seconds to enjoy the under water scenery again, as this was only just the second time, and rapped on the door for the guards to open it for me.

“Who is it?”

“Who do you think it is, jackass?” I rolled my eyes, this was unbelievable… how was I supposed to find out who came here over the passed two days, if these guys couldn’t even remember who walked through the door ten minutes ago? But I tried anyway.

I spoke with them for nearly half an hour, and two of them gave me pretty strong profiles of whoever passed by the prior week. Even better, they had a list of names, with signatures. It wasn’t very long, and it seemed like just regular checkups, up until the moment they had discovered the malfunction.

“This is all?”

“Yes, Sir.”

I had to hide a smile when they called me ‘Sir.’ “Are you absolutely positive?”

“Yes, Ma’am, that’s all. We know all these people, they come here every day.”

Had I hit a dead end? I thought for a while, knowing I had to dig deeper, think outside the box. Yes, Sephiroth and Genesis both thought it might be someone from the inside, someone who knew their way around the reactor, but maybe there was a way for someone from the outside to get in? A way we hadn’t thought of before.

I let my eyes roam around, taking in the structure. “There wouldn’t happen to be another way into the reactor, would there?” Maybe…

“No, Sir.”

But his opinion wasn’t good enough for me. One could never be sure enough. “Do you have blueprints for this facility?”

He looked at me in surprise, his eyes widening slightly. He obviously wasn’t used to being asked such difficult questions. It was almost cute. “Uh…the maintenance people have…”

“Good, bring them to me, I need them. And while you’re at it, tell them to fix the reactor. We’re done in there.”

“Y-yes, Sir.” One of the soldiers saluted before he took off down the hall. “Right this way.”

“Guard this place well, will ya? We can’t have disaster on our hands,” I said to the others before I followed after him.

Ten minutes later, the soldier had copied the blueprints and the entry-list for me and pressed them into my hands. In the meantime, he had tried to question me about the reactor and whether we had a suspect yet. I had to press on him a few times I wasn’t allowed to speak of it, and in the end he stopped asking. He then changed the subject to me, which wasn’t something I wanted to speak about either.

“Who else has access to these blueprints, Cadet?” I’d spread them open atop an office desk and studied them. There was a network of intricate lines and shapes on the paper, and I couldn’t make head nor tail of it, but it didn’t matter. I’d found what I was looking for.

He considered for a moment before answering. “Well, Sir, as far as I know, the blueprints are only handed out to the maintenance crew and it’s only one set of copies. For safety reasons. However, there is a backup file on the HQ computer here in Junon, in case it would ever get lost. I mean, there has to be right? What would they do without their copy?” After that he fell silent and watched me study the blueprint.

“You are awesome, Eden,” I whispered to myself before snatching up the papers and running out the door.

I made for the docks immediately, not bothering to acknowledge the glances and frowns I was getting as I ran down the street towards the harbor.

I found them speaking to the harbor-master, who appeared to be greatly intimidated. He was wringing his hands in front of his body, shifting from his right to his left leg and back again. Truthfully, Sephiroth and Genesis were imposing, and I didn’t blame the poor guy. Especially with the way Sephiroth was carrying himself. He stood close to the man, something he seemed to do frequently, and most likely on purpose. Genesis was standing a little off to the side, but his presence seemed awe inspiring enough for the man, since his eyes kept shooting back and forth between the two men. I kept my distance patiently and leaned back on the balustrade, smiling to myself as I watched them in action. They truly were a sight to behold.Beautiful and arrogant. What a horrible combination.

“As far as I know, the only intercontinental line to dock here, arrived and left yesterday,” the man informed them. As uncomfortable as he may have appeared, he was obviously confident in his job. “Other than that we haven’t had anything but a few ships from Shinra, and they’re all accounted for, including the people on board.”

“Get us a list,” Sephiroth said to him. His tone almost made me cringe. It hadn’t even been a question, but a simple demand. A command, even.

Apparently, the poor man felt the same way. I saw him flinch ever so subtly. “I have it ready, Sir, I knew you would be needing it.”

“Good. Hand it over please.” Sephiroth held out his hand patiently. At least he’d said please. The man reached inside his jacket, pulled out a few sheets of paper, and handed them over.

“So, absolutely nothing suspicious has happened over the passed two weeks?” Genesis asked him as Sephiroth looked at the list. “You’re certain?”

“No, nothing, Sir.”

“Very well, you may go,” Sephiroth said while still checking the paper in his hands, scanning them for anything out of the ordinary.

“Yes, Sir.” The man left quickly, afraid they would change their minds and ask more difficult questions.

There was no doubt in my mind they’d noticed me there, leaning on the balustrade, but before either could say anything, I spoke up. “Guess what this gal found.” Speaking of arrogant, I felt like I had saved the day with my findings, and couldn’t wait to show them.

The conviction in my voice made Sephiroth tear his eyes away from the paper to meet mine.

“Good news, by the sound of it,” Genesis said airily, though he did focus his attention on me.

“Yes, and no,” I replied casually, and Sephiroth raised an eyebrow at me, silently telling me to elaborate. “Yes, I know how they got in, and no, we still don’t know who it was.”

“Then it isn’t relevant,” Sephiroth said curtly and let his eyes drop to the paper again. 

Yes, I’d made a fool out of myself earlier today, but I would prove my worth this time. “Oh, I think it is,” I challenged. “Look at this.” I unfolded the blueprint and held it out in front of me. “This, gentlemen, is a blueprint of the reactor.”

“I can see that,” the General said in a bored voice, sounding utterly unimpressed.

Genesis grinned. “She’s getting all exited, Sephiroth, give the girl a chance.”

“Yeah, yeah,” I impatiently waved my hand at Sephiroth, wanting to drop the bomb on him. “Now, _these_ are the ventilation shafts in the floor.” The winds in the harbor threatened to tear the paper from my hands, but I had a firm grip on it as I pointed out the vents. “You know, the ones you screwed me with? It leads all the way back…” My finger traced the lines down the paper. “To here. A ventilation grate in the elevator shaft _outside_ the reactor, in Junon.”

Genesis snatched the paper from my hands to take a closer look, while a victorious smirk graced my face. I was so proud of myself.

“Don’t look so smug yet, Fox, we still have nothing to go on,” Sephiroth said to me.

Genesis was tracing the lines with his own eyes, checking whether the information I had given them was correct.

“But you’re wrong, Sir,” I argued with Sephiroth for the third time in as many hours. “That was the bad news. True, we don’t know who did it yet, but, what I do know is where those blueprints came from, and--” My smirk now changed to a smile. “Who exactly has access to the only computer they’re on.”

Genesis glanced at Sephiroth briefly, before he shifted his gaze to me and smiled. “Well done, Eden, how did you get all that so fast?”

“Oh, it’s part of my charm,” I bragged.

“Not so fast,” Sephiroth interrupted. He was really set on proving me wrong, wasn’t he? “How would you know who has access?”

My smile now turned mischievous. “Because my father is one of them. One phone call, and I’ll name you each and every employee who has been on that computer, when they did it and what they did. Oh, and this is an entry-list of everyone who has been inside the reactor, just in case. Thank you very much, it was my pleasure.” I snatched the blueprint out of Genesis’ hands, and left for the chopper to make a call.


	8. Chapter 8

“Yeah, it’s all great fun, dad.” I didn’t speak with my father as often as I would like, and even though when I had left for the academy we had agreed that we would call each other on a weekly basis, that promise had somehow faded. The last time we’d spoken on the phone was the day I got promoted to SOLDIER. He’d been really proud. Sometimes I felt guilty, especially at times when I _did_ talk to him on the phone. I imagined there was loneliness and sorrow in his voice, though my father wasn’t the kind of man to hold a grudge over something like that. On more than one occasion he’d told me I had to stop worrying over him, and that no news was usually good news. He’d say he’d had plenty of phone calls about me in the past, so the phone _not_ ringing for a change was a positive thing. The last time I’d seen him had been over five weeks ago, when we’d gone out to dinner in Junon to celebrate his birthday.

“Eden,” he said to me after he’d passed me the information. “You’re home. How about you come visit me this afternoon and you tell me all about your first week? I’ll take the afternoon off from work, we’ll have lunch somewhere.”

As much as I wanted to, now was not the best time. In fact, it couldn’t have been a worst time. Maybe I could ask Angeal for a day off when he got back. “No not right now, I’m working, but as soon as I can okay?”

He laughed softly on the other end of the line. “Of course, I know-- I know, you’re a very busy girl.”

“Thanks a lot, dad, you’re the best.” I closed my phone and grabbed my notes before making my back over to Sephiroth and Genesis. They’d been waiting patiently for me to return, Genesis leaning his arms on the banister and staring out over the ocean, Sephiroth leaning his back against the banister beside him with his arms crossed over his chest, his eyes scanning his surrounding as he observed the goings on in the harbor. “Here you go, Sir, one list of names. I guarantee you, his name is on this very list.”

Genesis took the list from me and looked it over. “These are all employees in Junon?”

“Yes. I know there’s many, but my father said he couldn’t find out anything else for us, since it’s not his job and he didn’t want to contaminate any evidence accidentally.”

Genesis nodded and handed the list over to Sephiroth.

“We’ll inform Lazard, and set the Turks on it,” Sephiroth said as he skipped through the names. “Spying is their division. Eden?”

“Yes?”

“Please take your leave.” I didn’t understand what he was saying, it sounded as if I had done something wrong. Apparently he noticed the confused look on my face, so he elaborated. “You have done very well indeed. I want you to take the rest of the day and visit your father here in Junon.”

I cracked a huge smile and for a moment, I felt like hugging him. I decided against it though, he didn’t seem like the kind of person who’d appreciate it. “But, the report, Sir…?”

Genesis smiled at my concern and offered me a reassuring look. “Don’t worry about that, Eden, we’ll take care of that. Trust me, there’s many more opportunity to write reports.”

“We’ll leave at O-nine-hundred, with or without you,” Sephiroth warned me in a cold voice while I nodded happily, already moving away from the banister to make for Junon HQ, where my father worked. “Once we get back, we will report to Lazard on your excellent work today, though I still think it was a lucky shot. You’re not there yet. Don’t let it rise to your head.”

I was all but jumping up and down with impatience. “I agree, Sir. And thank you.”

“Go on, girl.” Genesis pushed me away with a chuckle. “Just don’t expect us to go easy on you after this,” he called after me as I ran off towards my father as fast as I could.

It had been too long since I had last seen him, and I was overly thrilled to see him again.

* * * * *

My father was so surprised when I busted in at his work that he started crying. We both cried actually. His teary eyes were the same dark brown as mine, though he gasped when he saw the Mako glow in them, which was understandable; it had been a shock to me too. His auburn hair was beginning to show flecks of gray, providing him with a very charming set of sideburns. He was also getting a little chubby around the midsection, which was because of his office job, he said. My father was a tall man, though my mother had been on the shorter side, and I was unlucky enough to have inherited that trait.

He took the rest of the day off like he said he would, and we spent the day strollingaround the city and going out for lunch together. It was exactly like the old days, when he’d ask me about my lessons in fighting school and he talked about motorcycles, which were his hobby. Before I’d left home, whenever he could find the time, he would take me to an old storage box in the city and we’d work on his old Shinra made bike he had stored there. Thanks to him, I didn’t play with dolls, but with toy cars. He was the reason I was so boyish, and girl-talk was not his thing. So, instead, he wanted to know about all the violence, even though he used to scold me for getting into fights when I was younger. I loved these moments with my dad, especially since they had become so scarce since joining Shinra. I told him about Angeal, and Genesis and the General, and about Zack. Soon, when the subject became friendship though, he had subtly steered it away, afraid I was going to talk to him about ‘boys’.

The day was over all too soon, and with the promise I would call him, I left my parental apartment and made my way back to the helicopter.

I found only Genesis there, one leg lazily swinging back and forth while he sat perched inside the open helicopter. The evening breeze was playing with his hair, making him look like a fairy-tale prince, with his perfect complexion and deadly sword laying by his side within his grasp. He was reading again, and by the looks of it, it was the same book he’d been reading on the way here. Sephiroth was nowhere to be seen.

“Hey,” I greeted while I came walking up. “Where’s Sephiroth?”

“Hunting,” Genesis replied, not taking his eyes off the book.

Hunting? Hunting what? I shot him a puzzled look, but he didn’t acknowledge me. My silence was met with more silence. “...Care to elaborate?”

He looked up at me as if only just realizing I was standing there and snapped his book shut. After setting it aside carefully, he hopped from the chopper. “He likes to do that, while he waits. He doesn’t like waiting, you see. So, he goes out into the outskirts of the city to hunt monsters. He wants to stay sharp.”

I doubted very much that Sephiroth needed to stay sharp, or that any of these monsters were even a challenge for him, but I kept that to myself. Instead, my eyes fell on the book Genesis had been reading. “And you want to memorize that book in reverse-writing, so it seems,” I stated with a laugh. “What is that you’re reading anyway?”

A strange smile appeared on his lips, as if he were smiling over a secret only he knew. “Loveless,” he replied, the smile slowly fading. “Though I don’t expect you to know it.” I didn’t. I had never even heard of it, actually. Genesis laughed softly. “Judging by the look on your face, I thought correct? No matter. It is a poem,” he explained. “And I already know it in reverse. Yet, it never fails to amaze me. I enjoy it so very much.” A passionate look lit up his features as he spoke. I sat myself down in the chopper and swung my legs over the edge. “I enjoy other things too, however.” His voice droppedsignificantly as he came to stand by my side, his hip brushing my knee.

“Yeah?” I wondered out loud. “Like what?”

“Like, friends. And good company.” He looked me in the eyes, his glowing Mako orbs locking with mine. My mouth went dry, though I was sure I’d drank enough this afternoon. “I’m blessed with both at the moment,” he added on a breath.

“I thought Sephiroth wasn’t here.”

Genesis snickered. “He’s not very good company. He is a friend though. But you, you’re both. You did good today, Eden, if you keep it up, it won’t be long before you make it Second.”

Though his words were kind, I knew he was only telling me this to be nice. I liked the fact that he was making an effort to be my friend, since we hadn’t started on the best of terms, but I needed to be realistic.

“Yes it will…” I said to him. “You heard what Sephiroth said, I have a long way to go.”

“Why do we have to speak of Sephiroth?” A shadow of annoyance passed over his face, momentarily darkening his eyes.

I didn’t understand why, weren’t they best friends, always together? There were hardly ever stories about Genesis without the mention of Sephiroth. But what if that was the problem? Maybe Genesis needed some time alone, a moment of glory for himself. When I thought about it, I’d never heard of Genesis’ triumphs without Sephiroth’s name linked to it, while Sephiroth had been praised on many occasions, his name popping up all over the planet. Was Genesis jealous with him? Even though he was nearly as strong, and definitely as needed?

“You feel like you’re in his shadow?” I blurted out without thinking.

Genesis’ eyes met mine again, though there was slight anger in them. An anger that seemed equally as passionate as the emotion he’d felt for his Loveless poem. “For always, he has been better than I, it is always the great Sephiroth, the hero, never Genesis. It’s so frustrating sometimes.” He faced away and stared into the city, where the sun was sinking into the ocean, only a small strip of gold glowing on the horizon. Now that is was dark, the lights were on in Junon. The city was beautiful at night, shimmering like stars. I wondered if Genesis appreciated the sight, or if he was too lost in his thoughts on Sephiroth.

“Genesis,” I started carefully. “You are not less than him. You are not his shadow, you are his friend, his right hand. You have done many great things, like he has, it doesn’t matter what name you are given, as long as your heart is true. You’re not unnoticed.”

At my words, he turned back around to face me and took my hands in his. “Who notices me, then?”

“I do,” I said without hesitation. How could I not notice him? Even when he’d been harsh towards me he was difficult to miss, and now that he had accepted me I only began to appreciate him more. “I think you’re good person, and well on your way to be a great friend.”

He scoffed bitterly, glancing away from me and pulling his hands away from mine. “I can never have what I want.” He was frustrated, staring at the ground.

It was obvious I’d said something wrong, but I couldn’t fathom what. All I had wanted to do was make him feel better, but my words seemed to have the opposite effect. “Then what do you want?” I asked him, feeling clueless.

He stared at me with an absent look in his eyes and brushed a strand of chocolate hair behind my ear. “The gift of the Goddess.”

The touch had been so feathery light, barely a caress, but it had been such an intimate gesture that I felt intimidated somehow, and a sense of anticipation suddenly hung in the air, thick as thunderclouds. Surely he’d meant nothing by it, and it had simply been a friendly touch, a ways to make amends after his sudden strange behavior. Obviously I was seeing things, letting my imagination get the best of me. Genesis would never-- My thoughts were cut off by the sudden arrival of Sephiroth, who appeared from the shadows around us.

“Loveless, again?” he commented casually. His sword was sheathed at his hip, though the blood on it was evident even in the dark. Other than that, there wasn’t a hair out of place, and he was still awe inspiring. I could suddenly understand why Genesis had responded the way he had. Even though Genesis was strong and beautiful, there was something otherworldly about Sephiroth, something _there_ that Genesis lacked, and would never have.

“Always,” Genesis replied with a sad smile that only I saw. “Caught anything?”

“I am satisfied.” Sephiroth gave us a smile of his own, albeit small and a little timid.

All these sudden happenings were giving me a headache. All I’d wanted to do was go on a mission and do something right, instead I found myself lost in someone else’s frustrations. Frustrations I understood only too well.

“And I am cold,” I chimed in. “Can we go?”

The way back was awkwardly silent. Genesis sat staring out the window, deep in thought, while Sephiroth sat tending to his Masamune. He had just cleaned off all the blood and was now sharpening it, even though it already looked sharp enough to cut air.

This meant I had time to process my own thoughts, something I hadn’t had the opportunity to do so far. I really did do a good job, and I felt proud of my contribution, but Sephiroth had been right of course, it was only the beginning. I doubted I would ever become as skilled and capable as Sephiroth, in fact, I was sure I would never be. With a pang, I realized that I had been comparing myself to Sephiroth, instantly reminding me of Genesis and his frustrations. Genesis was worthy too, and yet my very thoughts were proof that he would always be second best. Maybe Genesis was right, maybe he was in Sephiroth’s shadow, but it didn’t make him any less, simply because he wasn’t as skilled.

Sephiroth was a hero, all those stories I had heard about him while I was a cadet struck me with awe. People said he was perfect, and he came close, that much was true, but he had a cold demeanor. Still, it suited him, and his calmness and seemingly cold edge only made him more appealing. Like with Genesis, something had shifted in his behavior towards me, and I dared think he had started to like me over the passed few days. He hadn’t told me so, but he now treated me more like a friend, even though I would still think twice about insulting him ever again. Still Genesis shouldn’t feel less than him, I didn’t even feel less than him, and damn right I was, and always would be.

It pained Genesis greatly, I could see that, but still, I also felt as if there was something else disturbing him as well. Was it me? But why though? Did he feel the need to rival with Sephiroth over me? I recalled what he had said while he had held my hands, and the look on his face when he had touched my hair; the feeling of sudden anticipation that had come over me. It had stirred up something inside my stomach, something unfamiliar to me. It almost seemed as if had been about to make a move on me and had been interrupted by Sephiroth. He’d even seemed annoyed by the interruption. What had he meant by the Gift of the Goddess? I felt sad for him, for if it were true, I knew I couldn’t answer his feelings, for I had no such feelings for him. Maybe it would make him even more bitter about Sephiroth. But Sephiroth had nothing to do with that, had he? He hadn’t made anything more but professional contact and he had given no indication what so ever that he had even the slightest of feelings for me. If he even could at all. I had no idea whether the General was even capable of such things, he simply didn’t seem like the time, no matter how desirable he was. Or did Genesis know something I didn’t? They were best friends after all.

All these thoughts pained my head even more, and I decided to stop lingering on them before I became entangled like I had done in those wires back in the reactor. The memory made me chuckle to myself, earning me a curious look from Sephiroth.

He really was a nice guy once you got to know him and learned to see past that cold and distant exterior. He’d even laughed today. That memory also brought a smile to my face.

Not much was said when we made our way up to Lazard’s office. Did the man ever sleep? It had been he himself who’d told us he wanted a report on arrival, so he couldn’t blame us for keeping him up. It was the middle of the night when we got back, but he wanted to know never the less. Clearly, he lived for his job.

I was surprised to find Angeal in his office, looking dead on his feet. “Angeal! What are you doing here?”

Though he was obviously tired, he took the effort to grin at me. “Wouldn’t want to miss the report on your first mission, Eden. I am your mentor after all, or have you forgotten so easily during your trip?”

I felt touched he took the time to welcome me back, when he should be resting. “Almost did,” I laughed. “They have been very good substitutes.”

“I knew I could count on them,” he winked at me before addressing Genesis and Sephiroth. “So, tell me the bad news. Whose arm did she break this time?”

I scowled at him and then at Lazard, though it was only natural that Lazard had informed him of my latest escapade, and I should have know Angeal wouldn’t let it slip so easily.

“Nearly her own,” Sephiroth grinned. The way it caused his eyes to shine made it impossible for me to not observe him. I’d once thought him to be without emotion, but his lush green eyes came alive under his cold demeanor, showing me a side of the man I hadn’t witnessed before. Not even back in Junon. Something pulled at my heart, a sudden need to smile. “She’s a stubborn one.” The grin was still on his lips, though it was slowly fading. “This time however, it has been to our advantage.” He moved over to Lazard’s desk and placed the papers I’d collected in front of him. “It’s the list of suspects Eden has been so kind to deliver to us. We believe the person responsible is on there. It’s a list of employees authorized to use the main computer in Junon. I suggest you inform the Turks of their names.”

Lazard looked over the list, a sincere look on his face. It was never a laughing matter when your own colleagues were responsible for a crime. Something like that was painful, and company espionage was a crime not easily forgiven. This person was going to be in serious trouble, especially when the Turks were getting involved. They were notorious for their dirty work, and I had no doubt that whoever had done this, wasn’t going to make it out alive. I’d heard stories about the Turks before, as they sometimes joined cadets and SOLDIER on missions, and they were always viewed upon as highly dangerous. By people outside Shinra, they were often described as death omens, and rumors said that whoever saw them ended up dead. Which made me wonder where the stories came from in the first place.

“How did you get by these names?” Angeal’s voice pulled me back to reality.

“Eden?” Sephiroth inclined to me.

I cleared my throat, forcing my mind to focus on the matter at hand. “I found that no one suspicious had entered the reactor. So, I went to find the blueprints so I could check for other means of entry. The guard told me there was only one copy and the original print could only be found on one specific computer in Junon. A computer located at Junon HQ.”

“Could he have been wrong?” Lazard asked me and Angeal looked from him to me.

“No, Sir, my father is assistant director at Junon HQ. He confirmed.”

“Good, good, well done, Eden.” Lazard clearly wanted to praise me for my work, but I could tell that his mind was elsewhere. I didn’t blame him, this was bad news, and meant that there might be more spies inside Shinra than just the one. This was going to be a huge investigation, taking up a lot of time and energy. It also meant that people’s private lives would be under thorough investigation, and things like that were best avoided. I wondered if the Turks would soon be showing up at my door to start questioning me, and my friends. Did they do torture? I was pretty sure they did, and where probably sufficient at it too. The thought almost made me shiver.

“Thank you, Sir,” I smiled at Lazard gratefully. “But really, I just got lucky, anyone could’ve done what I did.”

“But they didn’t, you did. You might want to start giving yourself a little more credit, you’re more than the troublemaker everyone makes you to be. Although, you are a handful.”

At Lazard’s encouragement, I snickered. “I apologize, Sir, but I don’t think that will ever change.”

Lazard shook his head in amusement, and turned to Genesis. “She hasn’t been getting in your way, has she?”

He looked at me affectionately and smiled. “Not at all, we were greatly entertained.”

Lazard rose from his chair, an indication that the conversation was over. “I’m expecting a report by tomorrow evening, including a report on Eden’s performance on this mission. And you may leave out the entertaining parts. Eden, that is all, I bid you good night.”

For a moment, I waited for the others to move, but when they didn’t, I realized I was the only one who had been dismissed. “Good night, Sir.” I turned and left, wondering why the others had remained behind. My thoughts were interrupted though, when my phone rang.

“There she is!!” Zack screamed on the other end.

I awkwardly shot a final look over my shoulder and made my way out the door. “Zack? It’s two in the morning?”

“I’m at your door right now, I want a full report when you get here. And make it ASAP, the burgers are getting cold.”

“Zack? It’s two in the morning?” I repeated, though with a smile on my face. Suddenly, I wasn’t feeling tired anymore, and I was all in for a party. Even if it was only to keep my mind occupied with other things.

“It’s dinnertime somewhere in the world, right?” Zack grinned. “Get down here, I’m standing here like an ass.” He hung up and I shook my head at my idiot friend.

Zack was all but bouncing up and down when I arrived one floor down, and he told me he had just gotten into a fight with a SOLDIER Third Class for screaming in the corridor. He had then threatened him and had rightfully abused his higher status as a Second Class. I told him he belonged in a straitjacket.

Once I had seen the burgers, I hadn’t really cared about him being an idiot anymore and he spent about an hour interrogating me about my day. He said he was proud of me, and told me that Angeal had already expected me to do great, that I had potential. I felt really proud. Not only that, it told me that I was finally accepted, and it made me feel more at home here than I had ever felt before. Then I asked him about his trip with Angeal. He gave me a new count on his monster kills, but he once again left out Angeal’s. The mission had gone very well, and they had found Wutai was indeed forming an army, but it was really nothing threatening. For a moment, I considered telling Zack about Genesis’ strange behavior, but I wasn’t sure where to begin. I never spoke of my thoughts too much, and by any means boys were different in these matters than girls. It was more than possible that he’d freak because I wanted to talk to him about feelings. So I decided against it. We talked and laughed for a while until at around four in the morning, there was a knock on my door.

“What the hell?” I said to Zack, who just shrugged and stayed put, sprawled across my small sofa. Who was crazy enough to even be awake at this time of night? Apart from crazy people throwing a two-person party in the middle of the night. I frowned at Zack before I stalked over to the door. When I opened it, I was surprised to find a very solemn looking Genesis. My eyebrows shot up in surprise.

“Hello, Eden.”

“Are you crazy? It’s past three in the morning!” Not only that; now that I had digested the fact that Genesis was at my door, a feeling of unease came over me. Genesis and I hadn’t been in touch outside of work, not privately at least. So for him to show up at my door in the middle of the night, either meant he had something work related to tell me and it couldn’t wait, or he was here on personal business. Neither of which were good news in my opinion. The scene back at the helicopter flashed through my mind.

“I’m aware, yes, I just wanted to--” He stopped talking when Zack suddenly appeared behind me. I hadn’t heard him move, but he was looking at Genesis over my shoulder, probably to make sure everything was all right. I appreciated his concern, but judging by the look on Genesis’ face, he wasn’t reassured by Zack’s presence. A suspicious frown appeared on his face. “You have company…at three in the morning?” he asked, sounding a little too judgmental for my liking.

“You’re not the only one who’s crazy,” I replied with a crooked smile, hoping it would wipe that stunned look off his face.

“I see.”

“We were just talking, dude, I was just about to leave anyway,” Zack said as he pushed past me, out the door.

“You don’t have to--” I started, not wanting him to be chased away by his superior, but he simply ruffled my hair and made his way over to his own floor..

“Nah, that’s okay,” he said playfully. “It’s late anyway. See you tomorrow in TC? Can’t wait to kick your ass again.”

“Sure thing, make sure to bring an extra pair of underwear,” I shot and I heard his laugh echo down the corridor with him as he casually strolled towards the elevator. “So? You were saying?” I said to Genesis, who stood staring after Zack, as if he wasn’t yet sure about what to think of Zack being in my room.

“I--” He was still staring after him, unblinking.

Zack had by now stepped into an elevator and said one last goodbye with a casual wave of his hand, before the doors closed and he was gone from view.

I raised my eyebrows at Genesis, wondering what his problem was. He seemed a little out of it, almost like someone who was sleepwalking and was waking up at a place he had no recollection of traveling to. Or maybe regretted traveling to. “That’s Zack,” I said, thinking that maybe he didn’t know Angeal’s pupil.

“I know who it is,” he snapped at me before his features softened. As soon as I’d said it, he’d shifted his attention back to me, but I wasn’t yet sure I ought to be happy about that. If he was going to be like this, I didn’t feel much like talking to him. This was the last thing I wanted right now, standing halfway into my quarters in the middle of the night, with an agitated Genesis. The very person I suspected to have tried to make a move on me not ten hours ago. Then he apologized, and my worries smoothed over slightly. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean for it to sound like that.”

“Is something wrong, Genesis?” I carefully asked.

“No,” he said. As he shook his head, his lovely hair danced around his face. It looked so soft. “No, not at all,” he added for emphasis. “I apologize, I only wanted to tell you something.” Then he sighed, and looked away at the floor as he muttered, “It seems all I do is apologize.”

“What is it?” Now it was my turn to frown suspiciously. I was too concerned with why he was here to worry about his apologies.

He raised his gaze from the floor, and back up towards my face. “I-- Angeal has withdrawn himself from his mentor-ship over you.”

All I could do, was stare him blankly. Surely, I heard that wrong. “What?”

“Lazard has requested him to hand over the mentor-ship, due to over capacity. Angeal has been mentoring five pupils at the same time, and it is simply too much for him.”

I blinked a few times, trying to let the message sink in. If this were true, why hadn’t I heard of this before? Angeal hadn’t mentioned his busy schedule, and he’d seemed fine with it before he left on his mission to Wutai with Zack. Where did this sudden change of heart come from? Had I let him down? Had I let Lazard down? Was there something I had done that made Angeal give up on me? I’d be lying to myself if I claimed I wasn’t hurt by the news, and even a little offended. No one had given me a choice in the matter, and no one had even informed me. Instead, it was Genesis of all people who’d taken it upon himself to let me know what had been decided for me. “Did Lazard decide that, or did Angeal?”

“Lazard,” Genesis replied truthfully. He gave me a sympathetic smile, but I wondered if he even knew how this felt. “But we agree,” he added. “It fell hard on Angeal, but he accepted in the end.”

A deep cutting sense of disappointment came over me, so I did what I always did. “Why me? Why not someone else?” My words were selfish, and I knew they were, but I felt that for some reason I had a right to. I’d always worked had, and to be the one to be shoved aside--

“Because I wouldn’t take anyone else,” he answered, catching me completely off guard. His reply surprised me, and it no doubt showed on my face. I’d never been very good at hiding my emotions.

“You?” I asked him in wonder. “You’re my new mentor?”

“Yes,” he smiled in content, almost proudly, as if he’d accomplished a great achievement. “Sephiroth has offered, but I argued he wasn’t a very sociable person.”

“And you are?” I noticed his smile falter and realized how that might have sounded. Not only was I bad at hiding emotions, I had a great deal of trouble controlling my tongue at times. I hadn’t meant to insult him in any way, but Angeal was different from them, somehow more human. There had to be a reason he was appointed all the new trainees. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean you’re not a nice guy. Angeal is just…outgoing, you know?”

“But there’s so much you could learn from me!” Genesis’ outburst was so sudden, and so full of emotion, I truly hadn’t seen it coming. It was like all the frustrations he’d pent up inside since our talk in Junon were spilling out. “I can prove to you that I’m worth it. I don’t have to be less than Sephiroth.”

So there it was. His frustrations with Sephiroth was what had made him decide to take me on as a trainee. It had made him do something he’d never done before. This wasn’t because he saw potential in me, this was because he could finally prove he was better than Sephiroth. I rubbed the bridge of my nose with my fingers and closed my eyes. “I’m not a contest or a challenge, Genesis. And you certainly don’t have to compete with him over me.”

“Who do you want then?” He started to get frustrated again, almost sounding desperate. There was a blush on his cheeks, and his blue eyes were wide, his pupils barely visible.I had no idea what I’d said wrong to cause his reaction, but I felt that there was something more to this than his rivalry with Sephiroth. “Do you want Sephiroth to mentor you??”

“Not really, no.” I did my best to sound calm and patient, but truthfully, this was starting to get on my nerves. I didn’t want him to tell me what was on his mind, I wanted to end the conversation and get to bed, so that I could continue my training in the morning, _with_ my new mentor. Because even though I didn’t like his behavior when he was like this, he was an excellent SOLDIER, and I had no doubt I could learn much from him. If only he could keep his tantrums to himself. “I just want someone to show me the way. Someone I can trust and rely on. I don’t want someone to use me as a weapon.”

“I swear I’ll make it work.” The promise left his lips so naturally, as if there was no doubt in his mind. “I’ll have you Second in no time.”

Something told me he hadn’t yet truly understood me. I wanted to be better, I wanted to be strong, and I wanted to deserve what I got. “That’s just a title, I want to actually deserve it.”

Suddenly, his hand jerked, and for a second I thought he was about to take my hand, but he seemed to think better of it and let his hand fall to his side. “I’ll get you there, Eden,” he said. “I’m just a good a mentor as Angeal is.”

“Then why don’t you have any pupils?” I asked him in all honesty.

Genesis looked away and then at the floor, almost seeming uncomfortable. Then he whispered. “Because I’ve never found anyone worth the time.” His voice was barely audible, but the hallway was deserted, and I heard every word that passed his lips.

I swallowed. This hadn’t been what I had wanted to hear. “How would you know? Why am I any different?” I’m an idiot. Why did I have to go and ask questions I really didn’t want an answer to?

“I think you know why,” he whispered again, his voice so much a mumble I wasn’t even sure I had heard him say it this time. I wasn’t about to go ask again though. The truth was, I had absolutely no sensible reply to what I thought I had just heard. Instead, I simply pretended not to have heard anything at all.

“When would you like us to start training, Sir?”

His eyes shot up again to meet mine and a smile appeared again, making his eyes sparkle with happiness. Had I just given him false hope? “I’d say tomorrow afternoon would be fine. Perhaps after you practiced with Zack?”

“Sure, Sir, good night then.” I replied, almost automatically.

He smiled again and made to leave, but halted. “You don’t have to call me Sir. Sleep well.”

I shut the door and rested my back against it, taking a very, very deep breath. That’s when it dawned on me. Sephiroth had asked to mentor me. Sephiroth, like Genesis, _never_ took on pupils, and yet, he’d offered.


	9. Chapter 9

The following morning, the happenings of the previous evening felt like a bad dream, and for a moment I even wondered if maybe it _had_ been a dream. Unfortunately, Angeal’s text message stating that he needed to talk to me quickly burst that bubble.

I rode the elevator down to the cafeteria and was just about to sit with Max and the others, when I saw Angeal signal me from the SOLDIER table. I’d hoped to at least get some time with my friends before facing Angeal and Genesis. They might have been able to cheer me up a little.

“Just a moment, boys,” I mumbled and walked over to the other table instead.

“Good morning, Eden,” Angeal said to me, while I carefully tried to avoid Genesis’ and Sephiroth’s eyes. Both were facing us when I joined Angeal; Genesis was watching me with an expectant look on his face, while Sephiroth’s eyes simply observed me. Both made me feel equally uncomfortable.

Angeal didn’t wait for my reply, and before I got the chance to sit, he rose from his chair to take me by the elbow. “I want to talk to you,” he said while he guided me away from the table. I might have imagined the eyes that were burning into my back, but I felt them none the less. “Listen, Eden,” he started once we were out of ear shot. “I want to apologize for letting you down.” There was something absolutely crestfallen about the way he said it, and it immediately broke my resolve to be upset with him. The genuine look in his eyes told me that he hadn’t simply dumped me.

“You didn’t,” I reassured him. “You tried and you gave it a shot. That’s all I could ask for.” His eyes traveled over my face, searching for a lie. I laughed at his discomfort. “Honestly, I mean it. Besides, I’ve got a new mentor now.” Saying it out loud didn’t make me feel any better about it.

“Yes. About that,” he started. “Do you think it would have been fair if we had let you have a saying in that?”

“I didn’t have a saying before, why would I now?”

“Because now, it seems like the three of us are fighting over your mentor-ship.”

This only made my suspicions feel more real, since it seemed that I hadn’t been imagining things. I wondered what Angeal thought of the matter. I peeked over his shoulder at Genesis and Sephiroth. Genesis was leaning his head on his hand, staring vaguely in my direction, his eyes a little unfocused.

“You noticed that too, huh,” I mumbled, more to myself than to Angeal.

“Yeah, I was there,” he replied, frowning at me.

“I know, I know, I just meant… Never mind.” I heaved a sigh and tore my eyes away from the men sitting at the table. Angeal clearly had no idea what I was talking about, so maybe I had misinterpreted things after all.

“What, Eden?” Angeal pressed, looking a little concerned.

“Nothing. I just don’t understand why they’re both willing to mentor all of a sudden, they never do, you know that.”

Angeal laughed, his eyes sparkling with mirth. “I suppose it’s a new challenge for them. We’ve never had a female pupil before, they must think it’s exiting. Besides,” his face turned mischievous. “You _are_ the only fish in the sea.”

“I said hen in the rooster pen,” I corrected him with a wry smile. Inwardly, I felt my stomach drop about a foot, momentarily giving me a sense of weightlessness. Maybe he had noticed, but he didn’t think anything of it. Maybe I should do the same. He may very well be right about this being refreshing and exiting to them. In fact, what was so bad about that? Joining SOLDIER was exiting to me too, and I couldn’t wait to get to work. Genesis hadn’t done anything wrong, he’d only confided in me about his frustrations. It wasn’t like he was causing conflict.

Obviously being satisfied with my response, Angeal winked and walked back over to the table. I watched him yank out Genesis’ arm from underneath his chin, causing the ginger to nearly slam his head on the table. Sephiroth started laughing and it was contagious. The sight made me smile. They weren’t all work after all.

* * * * *

During my afternoon session with Zack, I noticed I was getting sloppy. I got my ass kicked half way into next week, and Zack laughing at me wasn’t helping. Frustration was starting to get the better of me, leaving even more openings for Zack to take advantage of.

After about an hour, he lowered his blade, resting it on the floor. “You’re losing your touch. Is something bothering you?” There was a shadow of concern on his face, though I wasn’t sure I wanted to confide in him.

“Yeah, but I’m not telling you,” I sniped.

“Fine, be that way, just don’t expect any of the other guys here to be your girlfriend.” He smiled at me and I laughed, unable to do anything but adore his dorky attitude. It was obvious he was trying to make me feel better, and it was working.

“You’re such a queer, Zack.”

He shrugged and chuckled. “So, I heard you got a new mentor.” He put his blade to the side, telling me there would be no more sparring for now. “That’s what’s bothering you?” He sat down with his back against the wall, legs propped up, and patted the spot beside him with a leather clad hand.

There was nothing left for me to do but sheath my blades and accept his invitation.

“Yeah...” I breathed as I slid down to the floor beside him. “Angeal was busy. I had half expected him to dump _you_.”

A cocky smile appeared on his face. “Nah, he wouldn’t. I’m too good for that, like I just proved to you.”

Indignantly, I smacked my fist into his arm, making him yelp and rub it for the next minute or so. “Ouch...”

The door opened and Genesis walked in, his stride confident, as was his face. “I thought I’d find you here.” He appeared to be ready to get started, in fact, he seemed eager to get started.

“I told you I’d be here,” I grinned, still laughing over Zack’s pouting face as he rubbed his bicep vigorously.

Genesis’ eyes lingered on the two of us sitting side by side, almost shoulder to shoulder. The same uncomfortable feeling that had come over me the night before, was stirring again, until Zack cleared his throat and got up from the floor. “Right, I’ll just leave you two alone, you look like you need it.”

I glared at him for his remark, making a mental note to teach him a lesson later. Needless to say, his comment wasn’t helping. He strolled out the door and shut it behind him, but couldn’t resist shooting me a smirk over his shoulder before he did so. Genesis paid him no further heed, but stepped over to me and held out his hand to help me up.

“I’m just taking a rest.” I looked up at him, hoping he would give me a moment to prepare myself.

“No rest for the wicked,” he stated, keeping his gloved hand immobile. His eyes were expectant, unblinking as he looked at me. Within them I could see a well of emotions, a stark contrast with the cold stares he had given me after we’d first met. At this point, I wasn’t sure which treatment I preferred. Harshness was easier to deal with, that’s for sure.

I sighed and placed my palm in his. His eyes changed noticeably when he pulled me up and I ended up standing close to him, only adding to my discomfort. I didn’t know how to deal with this. I’d had guys after me before, but I was one to just burn them to get rid of them. In this situation however, burning your mentor to the ground wasn’t a good plan. Especially not when your mentor was a war hero, respected by many and known by everyone in the city and beyond.

It seemed he was hesitating about something, but before he could make up his mind and act on it, I stepped away from him with a nervous laugh. I must’ve sounded like an idiot girl. “So, what’s the plan?” I asked.

He regained is composure and grinned at me before walking over to the computer and starting the simulation.

He didn’t throw anything difficult at me, and my body screamed for a challenge. The first thing he’d hit me with, was a simple cadet simulation, meaning I got attacked by two troopers at a time. Once it became clear he wasn’t going to amp it up, I relaxed my stance and looked at him.

“What was that? You call that a workout?” I taunted, trying to keep my voice playful, though I was starting to get frustrated. Suddenly, there was a flash of red and his sword was in his hand, coming at me with such speed that I barely had time to anticipate. Now, this was better. My heart sped up, every fiber of my body ready to finally give it all. Our blades clashed together, and I could feel he was much stronger than his slim build would suggest. Sephiroth and Angeal were both buffer, and more masculine than Genesis, but there was a certain elegance to his physique that neither Sephiroth nor Angeal possessed. His movements were smooth and graceful, his blade cutting through the air like the wings of a bird. Every step was carefully executed, not a toe out of line.

We danced through the room and after some time, I knew that he was holding back. And not even slightly. It was like he didn’t want me to get hurt. This pushed me to fight even harder, trying to get him to do something about it, but he just stepped up and continued the dance. Eventually, I started getting weary, if only due to the duration of this session, more than anything. Of course, Genesis seemed to notice my slip and took advantage of the next open window. He swiftly moved behind me, and pressed his Rapier against my throat. The movement had been effortless, I’d barely even seen him move, but he was there, incapacitating me. It only reminded me that no matter how hard I tried, I wasn’t a match for any of these First Class. They may seem friendly, but every time I fought them, it only became too apparent that they were deadly and dangerous, and I was anything but a challenge to them. Not in a physical way, anyway. Which brought my thoughts back to the position I was currently standing in.

Genesis was standing so close to me Icould feel his breath on my skin. It tickled, and the tiny hairs along the back of my neck stood up in response to the caress. It wasn’t fear I was feeling at that moment, because I knew that Genesis would hurt me. We were long past being enemies. In fact, I felt that the scales were tipping for him, towards something more than neutral. I was panting, both from physical effort and anticipation. When was he going to let go? His blade was still pressing into my throat, and he gave no indication that he was going to move away anytime soon. I was very aware of how close his chest was pressed to my back. There was something thumping against my spine, and I wondered if I only imagined it was his heart. My breath hitched when I thought I felt him slightly running the tip of his nose through my hair. Goosebumps arose on my skin, and I knew I had to act now, or face the consequences.

“Are you going to keep me here like this all day?” I asked him. My voice almost cracked at the tension I felt in my entire body.

“Would you do something about that?” he asked me softly, though I wasn’t sure of his tone of voice. It was either teasing, or a serious question.

I swallowed and shivered, trying to get my body back under control. “If I have to.”

He sighed, a reaction I felt rather than heard, and he finally let go of me. “That was good, Eden.” He sheathed his blade, telling me we were done for today. “But remember, never lose your focus. You’re lucky it was me, or you would’ve been dead.”

There was no need for him to tell me that, it was why I was here. To get better, to make sure that I could fight anyone and anything, so that I could keep myself and the people I loved safe. But it frustrated me that he thought so little of me that he wouldn’t push me, that he treated me like a porcelain doll that might break at the slightest prod.

“If you hadn’t been holding back, this would’ve been over minutes ago,” I answered.

“What good would that do? I need you to learn to get better, not lose.” Even though I didn’t fully agree with him on his method, I did understand where he was coming from. It wasn’t my place to question his teachings. He was a great warrior, after all, I was only a simple girl who had no idea yet what it meant to be a SOLDIER. For now, I would trust him, and I would follow his lead. His eyes sparkled at the smile I gave him, and I nodded in understanding.

“Shall we get a drink?” he asked me, holding out his arm.

I stared at his outstretched arm for a moment, contemplating on whether I should take it or not. My mind went back to his behavior at my door the previous night, and at the way he had been pressed into me only moments ago. My suspicions about his intentions with me hadn’t died down, and the last thing I wanted was give him the idea that I wanted more from him than friendship. Maybe I had been a fool for telling him I noticed him, but all I had wanted to do was be kind to him, something I didn’t do all to often. How was I supposed to know he’d take it the wrong way? A drink, however, sounded perfect. “I could do with one, yes. But I can walk on my own. Don’t worry, you didn’t wear me out.” I tried to make my voice sound casual, but it didn’t fully have the desired effect.

His smile faltered only a little bit before he replied. “I’d like to see that happen.”

I was afraid of what he actually meant by that, but I didn’t want to find out.

* * * * *

Training sessions had been more of the same after that. Every time, it was apparent on his face he enjoyed me being close to him. The signs were subtle, but I wasn’t oblivious to them any longer. He’d wipe sweat and some occasional blood off my face and whenever I hit the floor, he would stop his assault to help me up. He never gave me more than a scratch and he kept sparring with me until I finally weakened enough for him to break through my defense. Some afternoons, he would just sit and watch me fight the easiest of simulations, while he dictated poems from ‘Loveless’. I’d fight as he strolled around the room, speaking the words on the pages out loud, though his eyes never left me. Whenever I would ask him what the hell he was doing, he would tell me it was necessary to be able to focus on two things at the same time. After the simulation, he’d ask me to quote what he had read to me. Personally, I didn’t see the point, and I wasn’t one for poems either. Still, I did as I was told, even though I saw very little progress.

During our last session, his phone rang. I observed his movements from my position on the floor, where I was taking a breather. There was a short moment in which he conversed with whoever was on the other end. Judging by the professional tone of his voice, it was Lazard. Even now, as he strolled lazily around the room with his phone pressed to his ear, he kept throwing me kind glances. As soon as he hung up, he stepped over to me and held out his hand for me to take. It was another thing he did on every occasion.

“Lazard wants us at MC. Come on.” He pulled me off the floor and held on to me longer than was necessary. I broke contact and made for the door, feeling his eyes on my back.

Every day, he walked me back to the elevator, insisting that a gentleman always escorted a lady, if his reputation meant anything to him. He always stayed right beside me, never a step ahead or behind. If I’d had any form of romantic feelings for him, I might have swooned at his chivalry. Occasionally I’d even asked myself what was wrong with me, for _not_ having feelings for him. There were so many things to like about him, and any girl would be lucky enough to be at the receiving end of his attentions. There was no doubt he was handsome, and his physique was more than appealing to me. And since that night in Junon, his hostility had made room for kindness, and his manners were excellent. Still, feelings weren’t something one could force into existence, no matter how many good traits a person possessed.

We’d received some curious glances in the hallways recently, when other people passed us as we walked side by side, and I wondered if other people noticed the way Genesis acted. More than once, I’d caught Sephiroth observing us rather intently whenever Genesis would do things like pull out a chair for me in the cafeteria, or hold a door for me. It always made me feel like I’d done something wrong. Angeal kept smiling at me, but maybe that was something he always did anyway. Genesis however, seemed happier than ever.

Once we’d reached the right floor, he guided me out of the elevator with a hand to my lower back, and if it had been any lower, I might have had to resort to violence. Now that we were training together every day, I ‘d noticed him push that boundary just slightly every day and I knew I had to put a halt to it. The only problem was that I had no idea how. He hadn’t done anything unacceptable and I found nothing to seriously tell him off about. What was even worse, was that I had also noticed my body reacting to his affections. A single slight caress from him caused electricity to jolt through my skin, my heart skipped a beat whenever he touched me. It was like my own body was betraying me, and I cursed myself for it.

Genesis led me inside Lazard’s office where Sephiroth, Angeal and Zack were already waiting for us. I acknowledged them and I saw Sephiroth’s eyes linger on mine for a moment, before they subtly shifted over to Genesis. Did he suspect anything? Had Genesis told him, even? They were the best of friends after all, along with Angeal. For some reason, I doubted Genesis had told Sephiroth, however. It seemed to me that he would want to keep this from him, so that there would at least be something that he had that Sephiroth didn’t. A secret that provided him with a certain sense of triumph.

“Director,” Genesis acknowledged the man.

Lazard simply nodded before getting straight to the point. “Only moments ago, I received word from Junon. It appears the reactor is under attack once again. They have managed to seal the door from the inside. Junon wanted to take immediate action, but I decided it be best if we were involved. Genesis, Eden, I want you do depart immediately and stop this once and for all.”

“Yes, Sir,” I said, while Genesis simply strutted out the door without a word. I supposed it was one of the perks of being First Class. With an apologetic look at the men in the room, I hurried after him.


	10. Chapter 10

Going on missions was something I had always dreamed of doing. That first mission with Genesis and the General had been a wish come true. But now, I wasn’t sure I felt as happy as I should be. Being alone with Genesis like this for the rest of the day was something that worried me more than it probably should. If I were being completely honest with myself, it wasn’t simply the thought that he might use this opportunity to get close to me, it was also the fact that I knew that my body responded to his in a way I had no control over. Being out there with him completely unsupervised, filled me with both anticipation and concern at the same time. Still, I was happy to finally go outside and get some proper work done again.

We reached the chopper in no-time and for once, Genesis didn’t make me feel uncomfortable. He chose to pass the time reading his book, giving me the opportunity to mentally prepare for the mission. While I thought about what we might find there, I observed him. His gaze roamed over the pages, keenly taking in the lines.Even though he knew the whole thing by heart, his eyes widened ever so slightly now and then, as if the words written there still managed to surprise him. It amazed me that someone could become so emotional over a poem, but somehow, it suited his personality.

Not two hours later, we arrived in Junon. The pilot waited for our return by the chopper, preparing it for our flight back.

As I wanted to hop from the chopper, Genesis was already waiting for me, offering me his hand. Somewhat reluctantly –though I couldn’t ignore I was flattered by the gesture-- I placed my hand in his and let him help me down. For a moment I was afraid he might not let go of my hand, but he did as soon as my feet touched the pavement. When we reached the reactor entrance, about twenty-five cadets stood piled up around it.

“We’ll take it from here,” Genesis spoke to them, his arrogance becoming apparent once again. I rolled my eyes at his loftiness. There was such a difference between the way he treated those close to him and the way he treated others.

Suddenly, I thought I heard something move on the other side of the door, but the cadets were making too much noise. “Sh!” I snapped and listened. That’s when I heard it, they were moving through the vent shafts. “They’re in the floor,” I whispered.

“Eden,” Genesis said, pulling my attention away from the ground and towards his eyes. “Do you still remember those blueprints?”

“Like the back of my hand, Sir,” I grinned.

“Good, well, at least there’s _something_ you’ve managed to learn by heart.” I knew he was referring to Loveless and I snickered. “Hit the vents, Eden?”

“Yup, on it.” I was already off.

I ran all the way back into the elevator shaft, where I knew the grate to the vents could be found. I yanked it off the wall, and crawled inside. Moving through the tight and dusty space had been difficult before, but with the sais on my back it almost became impossible. The countless wires and the darkness made my progress extremely slow, since I kept getting stuck every few feet. The vents became a bit larger in diameter once I had made it underwater and I got a little more breathing space, but the smoothsurface below me made way for grating, making it feel unstable under my knees and palms.

Every now and then, I sat still, trying to hear anything out of the ordinary, but so far there was nothing. In fact, I hadn’t heard anything since before I’d entered the vents. They had to be here somewhere, I was sure of it. They couldn’t have vanished into thin air.

Then, I heard some footsteps below me. I shifted my weight to lean down to peek through the grate, but as I did, the vent gave way below me and I crashed down with an awful racket. This time, I didn’t yank any wires down with me, but my fall was cushioned by something else. Apparently, I had hit Genesis on my way down, and he had fallen to the ground along with me. I lay there groaning for a moment while he pushed up on his elbow, looking slightly shocked. I checked him over to make sure he was alright, but he seemed fine, he was just rubbing the back of his head. This was great, not only did I make a fool of myself just now, I almost killed my mentor while doing it.

Genesis’ gaze was set on me as I still lay on the floor, trying to force my embarrassed blush off my cheeks. “You’re too clumsy, Eden.”

I grinned awkwardly at his comment, but the sound was muffled when he suddenly leaned down and pressed his lips to mine. I let out a murmured moan of shock, which he seemed to take as a display of consent. It urged him to become more assertive and soon he was halfway on top of me, actually burying his fingers in my hair. My body betrayed me when heat coursed through my veins in response to his touch, my fingers automatically dug into his shoulders hungrily. I wanted to push him away, but my hands refused to comply and my mouth didn’t speak. I knew I shouldn’t be doing this, that I didn’t want to do this with him, but when he shifted and his thigh slipped in between mine, my mind gave up on telling me to stop. It simply felt too wonderful. Clearly, he was equally passionate about everything he did; the emotion that came with every move of his lips made me feel like he came straight out of a fairy tale. A small moan escaped me when his tongue brushed my lower lip. I was simply unable to swallow it down. Genesis groaned softly in response, and my abdomen responded to the husky sound with another eruption of butterflies. Deep down, I knew I had to stop this before we went too far, but--

We were interrupted by sudden footsteps passing by our head and we broke apart. We turned our heads to see who was running, but I took no time to actually notice. I pushed Genesis off of me and scrambled to my feet, nearly tripping over them. I left Genesis on the floor staring at my retreating backside while I ran full speed after the intruder.

The intruder was a man, and he was fast. His arms pumped up and down by his sides as he tore down the corridor. Fortunately, I was enhanced, and I gained on him with every pounding step of my boots. When I had almost reached him, I took one gigantic leap and landed on the man’s back, bringing him down to the floor, hard.

He turned over with a growl and started fighting me, but it was lights out for him with one swift movement of my fist. Genesis caught up not seconds later, his fair complexion still blushing from excitement. And it hadn’t been the chase, I tell you. I felt quite heated myself, but this had to end right here, or things would end badly.

“Get the Cadets,” he said to me, while keeping the tip of his sword at the man’s throat.

There was no need for him to tell me twice. Right now, I would gladly use any excuse to get away from him. The task however, didn’t take me long, and I returned with the Cadets shortly after. The man was still out cold, lying on the floor at Genesis’ feet.

“We’ll be taking him back to HQ,” Genesis said to the three Cadets I had brought with me. “Well? What are you waiting for?” he demanded with a frown when they didn’t respond. “Escort this man to our chopper,” he ordered.

They scrambled over to the intruder on the floor, picking him up under the armpits and dragging him off towards the helicopter. By the look on their faces, they weren’t too happy about being told what to do, but they decided against arguing with Genesis. His demeanor was intimidating enough.

A  heartbeat later, we were alone, something I really didn’t want right now. All I wanted was to forget  our moment, and go back home. I moved past him, but I felt his hand on my arm,  halting me . 

“Eden,” he whispered and turned me around to face him gently. His other hand moved to my cheek and he caressed it. I was afraid to look up and meet his gaze, afraid of what I might see desire in his eyes. Afraid of what that might do to me. I had to do something about the situation, or this was going to escalate quickly. 

When h e leaned in closer,  probably to salvage another kiss, I put my hand to his chest  to hold him back. His heart was hammering wildly against my palm, making me feel a little uncomfortable, and maybe even a bit guilty. After all, I had been the one who had gotten him all worked up. Instead of welcoming him like he was obviously expecting, I gently pushed him away.  Instantly, confusion and question  flashed across his features. 

“Please don’t,” I said quietly, and to my own surprise, he pulled back. 

“Why not?” There was clear hurt in his voice, and truthfully, I didn’t blame him. Hurting him was the last thing I had wanted to do. Of course, I hadn’t wanted to kiss him either, but I’d let myself get carried away. 

“I can’t, Genesis.” It was all I could say without making this worse. What I should have added was ‘I don’t have any feelings for you.’, but with the way his blue eyes were observing me with a mixture of expectancy and sadness, I couldn’t say the words to him. So instead of accepting defeat, he refused to give up, like the fighter he was.

“I understand,” he replied with his palm still touching my cheek. “You need time. I’ll give you time.”

A slight sense of despair washed over me. I didn’t want him to give me time, I wanted him to forget this day ever happened and get on with our training. I wanted to get strong and become the SOLDIER I always wanted to be, without distractions and more drama.

“I just… don’t want to,” I said firmly, hoping he understood what I was saying.

Once again, confusion made his brow furrow. “But why? You let me only moments ago.”

“I know I did…” It was something that I couldn’t deny nor change. However much I wanted to. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have done that.” I sighed, feeling slightly helpless. Explain that one.

“Didn’t seem like it,” he said as he finally removed his hand from my face with a sigh more dramatic than mine had been. I closed my eyes and looked down to avoid his eyes, but he lifted my chin and forced me to look at him. “You’ll see, Eden, just give it time. Give me a chance.”

It didn’t sound like he was begging, it was more like a reassurance, something I didn’t need. What I needed, was for him to give up on this illusion and leave me the hell alone. But I didn’t have the heart to tell him that.

I didn’t even know what to say. Luckily, there was no need for me to say anything, as he simply pressed a kiss to my forehead and walked away, back towards the chopper. With a final sigh, I followed after him.

We were silent on our way back to HQ, the only exiting thing that had happened, was the man waking up. He started screaming and cursing, so I kicked him the face and he went limp once more. I received a curious glance from Genesis at my sudden aggression, but I really needed an outlet for all the stress that had been building up over the passed few days. I avoided eye contact with him for the moment, since I felt truly guilty about my behavior. There was no doubt that I had given him the wrong idea, something I had been afraid of since the first time we were here. I was an idiot. And I respected him and myself too much to just let it go, and have my way with him, something I knew my body surely wouldn’t say no to if my head hadn’t been in the way. Or my heart. I didn’t believe in lust simply for the hell of it, it always ended up bad. I wasn’t going to mess this up more than it already was.

* * * * *

After that, there was an obvious change in him. He tried even harder to make me ‘happy’, but luckily, he respected my request for distance. Though I still wasn’t convinced he’d gotten the right message. Still, I didn’t want to talk to him about it either, so as long as he kept his hands to himself, I was fine with it.

Much to my annoyance, he also started going even easier on me, reading to me more and more, and choosing conversations while sitting on the floor over actual training. Mostly, he wanted to talk about futile things, and tell me stories about himself, things he had done when he was a child, and missions he had been on. It was clear that he was trying to make an impression on me, telling me about all his victories and heroic actions. He also wanted to know about my childhood in Junon, and it surprised me he managed to talk about something other than himself. It seemed he was truly interested in me, but this knowledge only made me feel worse.

A few times, I asked him when we were going to get back to  actually  _doing_ something, instead of sit there and talk  all the time . He  simply said it was important for me to have patience.  It became c lear pretty soon that there was no point in arguing with him, he always had an answer for everything he did. I knew I wasn’t a very patient person, but this was getting ridiculous.  Once he  finally got back to training me , it was too easy to even mention. 

Soon, I started to get frustrated with this again, as now it seemed he only wanted to be _with_ me, instead of be there _for_ me. To make sure I at least got some amount of physical exercise done, I took matters into my own hands and trained with Zack every morning before lunch. Even he said I was getting sloppy again.

I was lost and I had no idea what to do about it. Fortunately for me, not a week later, the problem solved itself.

* * * * *

Now that Zack had gone with Angeal on another Wutai check up, I trained by myself in the mornings. Zack and I had finally managed to work out how the simulator worked, so now we could come here as often as we liked. I’d noticed that the other SOLDIERs trained far less outside of their regular schedules than we did. Whether they felt they were already good enough, or simply lazy, I had no idea, but I was glad we got the chance to use TC every day without having to kill someone over it.

I was in the middle of a very difficult simulation, when my surroundings turned blue, and everything fell apart into pixels. And then I saw nothing but green. For a moment, I wondered whether I had managed to break something, but when I took off my goggles I found Sephiroth standing beside me with an impassive look on his face.

Since our mission in Junon my dealings with him had been limited. In fact, I hadn’t seen much of anyone or anything besides Zack, Genesis and this TC. I barely ever had breakfast at their table in the morning, as I preferred eating with my friends. Which was exactly the reason why his being here with me made me a little apprehensive. The way he stood there with his arms crossed wasn’t helping with the matter.

“Training alone?” he asked. “Not sure that is wise. You might get hurt without supervision.” Was he jesting me, or being serious? The tone of his voice gave no indication of his thoughts, and I realized more and more how much of a mystery he was to me. It was intriguing.

“I can handle it,” I stated stubbornly, and boldly looked him in the eyes. 

At my response, his eyes narrowed. “You could’ve done better.” He started circling me like a vulture, every step of his boot a dull thud on the metal floor. His arms were by his sides, but I knew it would take him less than a tenth of a second to draw the blade at his hip and attack me. He was crazy enough too, he’d proved that much. I kept my eyes trained on him, following his every step with a growing sense of anticipation and discomfort. I felt like a prey that was being stalked. “You have everything it takes to become a great SOLDIER,” he continued as he moved around me slowly like a teacher giving a lecture. “You’re the only one standing in your way.”

I turned my head to follow his movements. “Don’t bestow me with illusions, Sephiroth, I’m not good enough to make First. I’m not in league with any of you.” Certainly, his words had been meant as a compliment, something that was to be considered rare coming from him, but I didn’t much appreciate false ones.

He stopped in his movements for a moment and offered me a curious glance. “Did I say anything about First?”

I gnashed my teeth at this subtle insult. In fact, it wasn’t even that subtle. “I don’t care about making First...”

“No. You just want to be the best you can to contribute, don’t you?” He smiled coldly at me as I glared up at him. He was now standing right before me, his presence intimidating without effort. I took notice of how much smaller than him I was. If he wanted, he could snap my neck like a twig, and I might be walking on thin ice with the way I was glowering at him. But, fortunately for me, he didn’t seem to mind my attitude at the moment, he was too preoccupied with trying to make a point, apparently. “Don’t you, Eden?” 

In truth, I had been too consumed with how close he was standing to me that I hadn’t registered his words right away. My heart had started beating faster at some point. What was he trying to achieve with this conversation? I said nothing for a moment but just maintained eye contact. Then, I looked away. “And?”

My heart skipped a beat when he took a step closer to me and dropped his voice. Hardly a whisper, but something more menacing. “And do you feel that’s what you’re doing? Getting better, stronger?”

My head snapped back to him. “What are you saying?”

He’d managed to hit the nail right on the head. I’d already wondered whether he suspected something, he was clearly no fool. Of course his best friends were the first to notice the changes in Genesis, the ways he was suddenly so gentlemanly and clingy it almost made me nauseous.

“Genesis,” Sephiroth pointed out unnecessarily. “Do you think he’s teaching you what you need?” It almost sounded like a rhetorical question. I knew he was right. There was no need for him to spell it out any more, I was fine with reading between the lines. He thought Genesis wasn’t right for me as a mentor, and to my shame I silently agreed with him. No words left my mouth, but my silence seemed to be enough for someone like Sephiroth. “I thought so. You need to end this.”

And then what? Somehow find my way back to Angeal? Or be without a mentor for the Gods know how long?  I rolled my eye s . “I’m not a juggling ball, I’m a person,”  I argued. “I need someone to show me the way, someone I can trust.” I raised my voice at him,  not caring about being careful around him .

“I can be that person, Eden.” The fact that he was once again offering himself to me eluded me, I was too annoyed with his meddling to stop and be amazed about that. His eyes caught fire at the frustrated sigh that passed my lips. It seemed I had finally gone too far. “Are you really so ignorant as to believe he’s mentoring you so you become stronger? He’s been going easy on you, reading you _poetry_.” He nearly spat these words and I might even have flinched. “You see, I’ve been keeping an eye on you. You’re slacking. I’m no fool, I see his intentions.”

I felt my face go red, both out of anger and out of embarrassment. He was right about all that, but the fact that he got angry with me about it was completely unnecessary.  “I’m not slacking. And that’s none of your--”  Wait, what did he say? He’d been keeping an eye on me? My face must’ve taken on an even deeper shade of red. I frowned up at him, my heart still beating wildly at his close proximity.  “Why have you been watching me?”

He ignored my question, for which I was actually glad. “Do you have some other reason to remain with him?” His voice was cold and it made me feel like I had done something wrong.

Had Genesis asked me this, I would have accused him of being jealous, but this was Sephiroth, and the very idea was laughable. Still, there was no need for me to ask what he meant by that question. Was that what people thought about me? Or was that simply what Sephiroth thought?

I turned my head away, not wanting to answer that question.  The reason I stayed with Genesis as his pupil, was to g uard his feelings, and because even though I couldn’t return his feelings for me, he was still my friend. He felt inferior to Sephiroth, and the last thing I wanted was to run off to Sephiroth and leave Genesis behind, feeling like a loser. What kind of person would that make me? And yet,  Sephiroth was right. I was bored, I had started getting sloppy, the only thing keeping me on track, were my training  sessions with Zack. But if I turned Genesis away, he might grow bitter again, and a conflict might be unavoidable.

“Say it,” Sephiroth whispered menacingly when I didn’t answer and continued to avoid his demanding gaze. His eyes tried to find mine as he leaned in closer. I turned my head the other way, folding my arms over my chest. “ _Say it_ ,” he repeated, louder this time.

Finally, my eyes sh ifted to his defiantly.  “What, afraid you might have missed something during your spying sessions, Sir?!” I snapped.

“Mind your attitude with me, girl.”

“What do you want me to say?!” I exclaimed, nearly throwing my hands in the air.

His features turned softer at my desperation, showing me a glimpse of kindness I hadn’t seen in him often. “I want what’s best for you, Eden. I want you to accept me as your new mentor.” Even though his words should have been reassuring, they only made me reluctant. What a mess.

“This is bullshit,” I grumbled. “I’ve not even been here two months and this’ll be the third time I get a new mentor.”

A shadow crossed his face, wiping all emotion from his eyes. “I see… I had hoped you would accept my advice, but you have lost sense of objectivity.”

“And you haven’t?” I had no idea why I said it, but deep down, I felt I was like a bone being fought over by two dogs.

He said nothing, for the first time since I had met him he seemed lost for a reply.  His silence made me wonder whether _I_ had hit the nail on the head this time. Then, he seemed to collect himself and straightened his back.  “I will see it done.”  His words w ere as final as could be, already telling me there would be no room for discussion. 

“I have no say in this?” I sounded truly defeated.

“No, you don’t.” With that, he turned and left.

I stood staring after him, watching him walk out of the training room. He was clearly angry with me, though there was no indication in his body language. His hands were still at his sides, open and at ease. There was no tension in his broad back, but I knew I had seen the flash of anger in his eyes before he had turned away from me. Anger because he thought I didn’t want him as my mentor. But he was wrong. I knew it would be best. I would be taught by the very best. He would never go easy on me, and certainly never read me poetry. Secretly, I wanted to be his pupil and I was touched by his determination to make it so. He cared for me, apparently, and he really did want the best for me. 

One thing I knew, was that I really didn’t want to remain Genesis’ pupil, but I didn’t want his fear of being Sephiroth’s shadow to become more evident either. It burned so deep with him, this envy.

When had life become so complicated?


	11. Chapter 11

That evening, Lazard paged me to inform me that he wanted to see me in his office. No surprise there. My time in SOLDIER was beginning to feel like a mistake and I felt so gloomy I was almost ready to get back to being a cadet. Which of course was never going to happen due to my Mako treatment. Once you were in SOLDIER, you were in for life, however short it may be.

Without knocking, I entered his office with a steel face and I refused to acknowledge both Sephiroth and Genesis, though I couldn’t keep my gaze from passing over them momentarily. Genesis was looking equally gloomy, glaring at Sephiroth from across the room. Sephiroth on the other hand, appeared the same as always; calm and collected. I wondered if he was pleased with himself.

I  halted in front of Lazard’s desk, staring at the wall  behind him. There was an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach, and the undeniable tension in the room suggested there might have been a very heated discussion only moments ago. No voices had traveled down the hallway on my way here, but tha t didn’t really mean anything. All three men were equally capable of stating their opinions. 

For some reason it was hard for me to meet Lazard’s eyes, and when he spoke to me, my gaze remained on the wall behind him. Stoic and detached.

“Eden, you are aware why you are here?” The director’s voice was calm, and yet I couldn’t help but feel like I had caused trouble again.

“Yes, Sir,” I replied blankly.

“I have evaluated your progress and I have decided that from now, on, Sephiroth will mentor you. Take heed to him.”

This didn’t come as a surprise. Sephiroth had used his influence to have his way, and Lazard had relented. In fact, he’d made a good call by pretending that he had made the choice. All that remained for me to do, was simply accept it. I wondered if Genesis would as well. “Yes, Sir.”

“Don’t you have anything to say on the matter?” Lazard seemed genuinely surprised at my lack of response. No doubt he had expected a ranting to come from my mouth. 

Instead, I nearly smiled at the  ridiculousness of the situation. “Nothing that would make this ordeal any better.”

“I thought as much...” he said. “You don’t agree?”

“Is it obvious?”

He sighed. “Speak your mind, Eden, it has never troubled you before.” He was right about that. I’d never been one to keep my opinions to myself, in fact, it had gotten me in trouble more often than I liked to admit. This time, I felt different. I felt like my opinion might start a war between two best friends. This time it was different, because deep down I knew I agreed with the decision, was even grateful towards Sephiroth for his perception.

The General’s sharp gaze on me as he assessed me felt like a silent warning. Neither of the SOLDIERs said a word, they merely observed me. Did Lazard have any idea what was going on here? There was one way to find out.

“May I speak with you alone, Sir?” I requested carefully.

Lazard watched me intently for a moment, not removing his gaze from mine. “Gentlemen, excuse us please?”

Sephiroth and Genesis left the room without saying a word and I didn’t dare look at them, too afraid I might see hurt and betrayal on Genesis’ face.

“Now, Eden,” Lazard started once they were out the door. “Tell me what is bothering you like this. You are not yourself lately.” His features softened and he patted the desk, indicating me to sit. I let out a deep sigh and hopped onto his desk, folding my legs. Lazard took off his spectacles and placed them aside before looking at me. “Don’t bother with formalities, just tell me. I promise you, your words a safe with me.”

I knew they would be. He had even tried to make the situation better by pretending it was he who had made the decision to pull Genesis and I apart. But I doubted it would make much of a difference.

“Do you think it might have been a bad idea to introduce a woman into this group?” I asked the Director, nervously laughing at my own remark. “Sir...” I then continued on a more serious note. “I don’t dislike Genesis, I want you to know that. But he has shown signs of more than just plain interest in me, and I don’t think he’s the right person to teach me. But, I know how he will react to this.”

The director sat back in his chair and folded his hands in his lap, looking more fatherly than ever.  “You want to throw away your future over the heart of some man?”  he asked me. “Perhaps you feel more for him than you think?”

I frowned as I thought about that. Romantic feelings had nothing to do with it, I simply didn’t want to see him hurt. After all, I did care about him, only in a different way than he wanted me to. Lazard patiently observed me while I considered his words, giving me time to decide on my answer. “No, I don’t,” I finally said. “He has become a good friend, but nothing more.”

“Then the choice is simple, Eden. You must choose your own happiness. He’ll understand.”

“No, he won’t.” I shook my head.

“He has to. Sephiroth will do much better. He’s capable of making you one of the best, if you work hard. And I know you will, you always have. Don’t give up now. Especially not for someone else.”

A sense of pride came over me, though it was overshadowed by doubt. Yes, Sephiroth would do better, but that was exactly the point for Genesis, wasn’t it? As their leader, Lazard should keep this in mind, though he didn’t seem troubled by the fact in the least. Maybe I should trust his judgment and let it go.

“Thank you, Sir,” I replied, though there was another thought nagging at the back of my mind. “I don’t understand, why does Sephiroth wish so badly for me to be his pupil?”

“Because he promised Angeal to look out for you. Both he and Genesis did, but I never expected this to happen.”

“I’m a woman among men, Sir, surely the possibility might have crossed your mind..?”

He chuckled and waved it off with a hand. “I never really considered you that way.”

Had anyone else said this to me, I’d have been insulted, but coming from him, it made me feel a little awkward. “I’m not sure that’s a compliment.”

Another chuckle passed his lips .  He picked up his glasses and placed them on his nose, adjusting it a little. “Don’t worry, Eden. I’ll resolve this. Genesis will accept my decision and you will be able to move on with your training. He’ll never know what happened.”  Maybe he was right. Maybe Genesis would believe that this was Lazard’s decision, and hopefully not suspect that Sephiroth had anything to do with the matter. It was a good thing that Sephiroth was so unreadable.

I was grateful this man was my Director, it seemed that he looked after us like a father, always managing to solve any problem. He was no fool, he knew exactly what he was doing.

“Thank you, Sir, I feel a lot better.” I hopped off the desk with renewed energy. The gloom had faded from my mind, and I was once again hopeful. Feeling positive, I moved for the door, ready to face whatever came next.

“And Eden?” I turned around at his mention of my name. “It might help to act as if you were terribly angry with me.” He winked at me and I grinned.

When I exited the office, Genesis and Sephiroth were still waiting in the corridor. They weren’t standing side by side, but across from one another. Sephiroth was leaning against the wall, as was Genesis, who looked at me expectantly. Instead of addressing either of them, I heeded Lazard’s words, and slammed the door shut behind me with more force than intended. I stuck my nose in the air and stalked by them without saying a word.

* * * * *

Even though I was hopeful that my training would be a lot more efficient from now on, a new sense of nervousness had awakened inside of me. Sephiroth was no joke, and although I knew for certain he would never go easy on me, his usually cold demeanor had me feeling slightly worried.  I hadn’t received word from  him yet, so I slept in for about an hour before making my way down for breakfast,  feeling a little dubious . My friends had already left, so I sat alone, not even bothered with what was on my plate. I was still really confused over the situation and I was so busy staring into space, I hadn’t even noticed Sephiroth walking up to me. On the other hand, the man was like a cat anyway. I sat fondling my food with my fork  while he stood by the table, waiting for me to acknowledge him. 

“Are you still angry with me?” His silky smooth, deep voice pulled me from my train of thought. There had been a hint of concern in his voice, though I might have imagined it. When I didn’t reply, he sat down opposite me, possibly trying to put me more at ease. He was clearly very aware of the way he imposed others with his presence, though at the moment his presence wasn’t the problem. The gesture was appreciated though. 

I jabbed my fork into my food for a moment longer, before finally answering his question. “No. You were right. If anything, I’m grateful.” I looked down at my plate, not wanting to meet his eyes. I’d never liked admitting things.

“Oh?” he asked, his brows arching above his minty eyes. When I finally met his gaze across the table, I was stunned to find surprise in his eyes. I didn’t think there was anything that could ever surprise him.

“I’m grateful, but I still don’t like it,” I replied and his brows formed into a slight frown. I sighed and dropped my fork, deciding to just relieve my mind. “You know him better that I do.” There was no need to elaborate on who I was referring to. “You know of his jealousy with you, his envy. He will feel like you’ve stolen me from him.”

“But I did,” he stated matter of factly, earning him a confounded look from my end.

“That’s not even remotely funny, Sir.”

He chuckled  softly, the sound still a little foreign to my ears . “This is the reason you refused to become my pupil? Because you didn’t want us to clash? And here I was, thinking you  simply didn’t like me.”  H e started laughing  in all earnest now and I wondered if he had gone mad. “You never fail to amaze me, Eden.” He stood up and placed a hand on my shoulder before he left,  squeezing it gently . 

Although this intimate gesture once again took me by surprise, I instantly felt better after that.

* * * * *

If I felt instantly better before, I felt instantly terrible not two hours later. Sephiroth was going hard on me, only just failing to slice off my head three times in as many minutes, and before the fo u rth was over, I lay in a heap on the floor after just being thrown twenty feet  across the room.  It was a good thing that my body had been enhanced, or I would have broken every bone in my body by now. It didn’t stop me from feeling pain though. A groan echoed around the room when I rolled myself onto my stomach, trying to push myself back up off the floor. I was panting heavily, and my muscles were tired and sore. I’d been thoroughly reminded I’d gone from one extreme to the next. 

F rom the moment we’d entered TC, he’d been relentless, attacking me without warning or further a do. His blade moved too s wift for the eye to see, rendering it impossible to even consider my next move. All I could do was act on instinct to keep from  getting cut to pieces.

I shook my head to clear it and looked to the side at Sephiroth, who simply stood there, hardly breaking a sweat. His perfect features were set in concentration and determination. For a moment I was mesmerized by his beauty. It wasn’t only his appearance, but everything that radiated off of him. I realized how mistaken I had been about him, thinking him cold and detached. He was reasonable, fair and trustworthy. He even had some sense of humor. More than that, I suspected him of caring. I wondered whether his attitude towards me would change even more now that we were training together every day. And even though he easily kicked my ass half way into next year, I was enjoying him being here with me. I felt more at ease with him than I had ever been with Genesis. 

My arms shook when I pushed myself upright, but I refused to show weakness. Not when the man standing across from me was the strongest warrior alive. “That...all you got?” I forced myself to say and it nearly caused me to lose my footing again.

“Be careful what you wish for,” he taunted, an amused look on his face.

“What are you talking about, I’m just getting warmed up here.”

“Are you really?” Amusement was now clear in his voice as well. A sly grin appeared around his lips as he continued to mock me. “Are you sure you don’t need a few minutes to...revive?” 

I huffed some hair out of my eyes and flew at him again, thinking I might at least surprise him. I barely arrived before I went down again, hitting the floor rather hard.

“Don’t be so eager, Eden,” he said while he stood over my groaning form, looking down at me while I clutched my diaphragm. He’d knocked the breath right out of me, and by now I was beginning to worry over internal bleeding. “Take the time to get to know your opponent. Anticipate, observe. Use their strengths against them. Don’t wear yourself out.”

I laughed dryly while getting up off the floor again, remaining on my knees for a moment to catch my breath. “That’s your doing, actually.”

As soon as I said it, my throat bumped into his blade.

“I just killed you,” he said calmly. “Stop being stubborn and listen to what I say. Get up.” He reached down and pulled me to my feet, dragging me up by the arm.

“I’m trying!” I argued. By now I was starting to get frustrated again. Not only was he completely waltzing over me, I spent more time on the floor than doing any actual fighting. This was indeed the exact opposite of what Genesis had done. Was it so much to ask to meet somewhere in the middle? Clearly, these two had never had any pupils before. Whereas Genesis was too kind, Sephiroth was too intense and obviously had no idea how fragile other people were compared to him. Genesis had been afraid to break me, but Sephiroth was clearly unaware of the word ‘overkill’. “Do you have any idea what a bitch it is to fight you?”

He sent out a dry chuckle and after having heard it a couple of times now, it seemed more natural to me than it had the first few times. In fact, I thought it was a pleasant sound. “I wouldn’t know,” Sephiroth said. “I’ve never met my match.” Then his face turned serious again. “But I have seen you do better. When we fought last time, you managed to press a blade to my throat. You didn’t even come close this time.”

“You let me do that, don’t insult my intelligence.”

He ignored my remark, trying to get his point across to me. “You lack conviction, Eden. There’s something wrong with your head.”

“Okay...” I frowned, thinking there was no reason for him to insult me. And I was just beginning to like him.

“It’s not in it,” he explained, his voice once again bearing that cold quality I had gotten so used to over the past weeks. “Are you still worried over Genesis? Let it go,” he said before I could even answer. 

His suggestion was ridiculous. Yes, the matter was still weighing on my mind, but it didn’t affect my capacities. If only he wasn’t so enthusiastic with beating me to a pulp. “No,” I denied with a shake of my head. “I’m not. I just--”

“Are you in over your head? Over your capacities? If you wish for me to speak with Lazard, I’m sure we could transfer--”

“No, don’t you dare!” I stated angrily. “I’ve been shuffled around enough for a lifetime, don’t you dare speak to Lazard.”

Sephiroth  chortled . “You want to stay here?”  he denounced, still standing close to me.  “Then work for it. You can’t stay unless you deserve it. Focus on your goal.” My determination grew with every word  he spoke, his very presence awe inspiring and triggering a spark inside me. When I gazed up into his eyes I saw more than fierceness in them; I saw excitement in them.  “What’s your goal?” he demanded.

“Ramming this blade through your neck,” I growled.

“Good.” He moved away to take his stance, raising his blade at me in challenge. “Now try.” It was an order, a challenge, and I accepted with everything I had.

My limbs grew weary, but I wouldn’t give up. I wouldn’t grant him the satisfaction of breaking me. I would not break. This man, this incredibly strong, fast man, had brought out the devil in me, and he was going to face it. And face it he did. Without much trouble I might add. But it didn’t matter. He had a great talent for pretending, allowing me to break through his defenses every now and then, to keep me reaching for that victory. I knew I wouldn’t have it, but I wouldn’t give up until he made me.

Twice more I hit the floor, but I never dropped my guard and I  got to my feet swiftly, not giving him the chance to take advantage of my slip. 

Finally, it seemed training was over and Sephiroth lowered his sword. But, I wouldn’t have it. We would keep going until one of us was down, I wouldn’t simply stop without at least losing. So I charged him again. This, it appeared, was a mistake, because two seconds later, I was on the ground, all air knocked out of me. I was still gasping and moaning when he knelt down beside me on one knee, threateningly poising his Masamune in front of my face. 

“I had hoped for you to leave this room without this having to happen,” he said calmly, not a single hint of emotion in his voice. If there was any, it was disappointment. “Why do you insist on making things difficult for yourself all the time?” His words struck home, and deeply so. I had never felt so transparent. Right there, on the floor, his words were more true than all the terrible things others had said to me. He described my greatest flaw in one sentence. Wasn’t that what I always did? When something was wrong, I made it worse. When someone wanted the best for me, I had to be stubborn. I felt a single tear form and run down my cheek. I started getting angry at myself for being so weak. Only now I realized how exhausted I was and I didn’t even have a sassy reply for him.

He spoke to me again, patience in his voice. “I understand you’ve had to grow up in a man’s world and have fought hard to hold your place among them.” He paused for a moment while he observed my features. I knew what he saw; wide eyes and a shocked expression, a face that bordered on crying. “But you don’t have to try so hard to prove your worth anymore,” he continued, making me swallow at his words. “I would not be here spending my time on you if I had no faith in you. I told you before, you have what it takes, but your head--” He sat me up by my arm, surprising me with how gentle he could be. “It gets in the way.” I stared at him, waiting for him to continue. “Will you now accept my guidance, and follow my rules?”

“Yes,” I whispered without thinking. I clung to his every word. He had finally, fully, earned my respect. There was no doubt left in my mind that he knew what he was doing, that he knew how to get through to me, and how to handle me. Yes, I’d found my perfect teacher. Perhaps I had even found the perfect man.

“Will you follow my lead without hesitation and do as I say without question?” I thought for a moment, doing as I was told without question was not in my nature. Complying to his request felt to me as giving myself over to him completely, but I already knew that he had compelled me into submission, and I would offer it to him willingly. Gladly, even.

“Eden?” he pressed when I took too long to reply.

“I...I want to...I’ll try, is that good enough?”

He smirked, the very act lighting up his features in a way I knew I would adore from now on. “For now. Will you control your temper with me?”

“Now, that would be too much to ask, really,” I smirked back.

He laughed and pulled me to my feet, once again more gentle than I thought him capable of. For some reason it reminded me of the way Genesis treated me, and the gesture made me blush. Fortunately, Sephiroth didn’t seem to notice my reaction to his closeness. “True,” he agreed. “My expectations don’t lie that high. But your temper isn’t what got you through today, it’s what got you on the floor. You did well, it even cost me some effort.”

I  tried to glare at him for trying to be funny, but couldn’t help but laugh.

“Rest well tonight, you’ll need it.” With that he left, leaving me to stare after him in awe.

“Oooh, boy,” I whispered, already worried over what tomorrow would bring.

After today it was clear that he wouldn’t hurt me, but truthfully, I didn’t mind getting hurt physically. It was all part of the job. But he could clearly cut someone equally as deep mentally. I wasn’t sure I was ready for it, but I would do whatever it took for him to respect me. I had never felt so naked with anybody before, the way he could see right through me. But I was also grateful, so moved by the way he treated me. Not with extreme care, or caution, but with truth. His words were soothing and kind, even sweet perhaps. I respected him and he respected me. And, I liked him. I truly liked him.

* * * * *

The next morning proved once again that Sephiroth was right in everything he said. I felt a pain in my body I had hardly ever felt before. I nearly sagged through my hinges when I stepped out of bed. Was this what it was like to be old? I moved like a grandma and when I finally made it down for breakfast Max suggested I use a walker the rest of the day, earning him a whack over the head.

The hot shower had somewhat helped, but I still felt muscles I never knew I had. If Sephiroth had any form of training planned for today, I was seriously screwed. Right then, I could’ve done with some of Genesis’ poetry sessions. At least they didn’t require any movement.

On my way to TC, I noticed Genesis suspiciously hanging around right outside the elevator and I wondered if he was hoping to run into me. If he waited long enough, he was bound to eventually. For a moment I considered sneaking away quietly and trying again later, but Sephiroth had sent me a message demanding my presence for training. Seeing as the stairs were right beside the elevators, I had no choice but to face Genesis. I wasn’t in the mood, since I already suspected what he wanted from me, and I knew that I was going to be late for my session with Sephiroth. Inwardly, I scolded myself for having wished for one of Genesis’ sessions instead. Looked like I was getting what I wanted.

“Eden,” he greeted me as soon as he saw me coming towards him. His usual smile was lacking, and there was a concerned frown on his face. He didn’t even wait for my reply. “Did you ask for this transfer?”

This was exactly what I had feared. I had dreaded this moment. In fact, I was surprised he hadn’t singled me out earlier. “No, I didn’t. Genesis--”

“I gave you space, didn’t I?” he pressed, not even hearing my answer. This kind of desperation on his part was exactly what I had been afraid of. Lazard had tried his best to salvage the situation, but I worried that it hadn’t been enough. And even though I agreed with Lazard’s decision, it was a little insulting that Genesis thought I had anything to do with it. 

“It wasn’t my decision.” I wanted to snap at him, but my voice softened when I saw the hurt in his eyes. “I swear it.” Right then, he must have been feeling utterly rejected; by me, by his superior, and by his best friend.

Letting this go was probably the best thing he could do, but I already knew he wouldn’t. I, on the other hand, wanted nothing more than to get away from this conversation. When I tried to step around him, he blocked my way into the elevator.

“Was it really Lazard?” he asked. “Or was it Sephiroth?” 

I fell silent. What was I  supposed to say? “You heard Lazard.” I thought this might be the wisest answer, it wasn’t a lie, at least. 

His face fell at that, and I knew he recalled Lazard’s words. They hadn’t been harsh in the least, but they had clearly fallen hard on Genesis. He looked away for a moment, biting his lip as he stared at nothing in particular.  “He told me he  only wanted what’s best for you, and that that’s not me.”  Then h e dropped his gaze to the floor,  suddenly looking ashamed of himself . “Perhaps he’s right. I have neglected your training.” 

There was something immensely pitiful about him, and a sudden urge to comfort him came over me. I hated seeing him  this sad ,  especially since  he didn’t deserve it.  In truth, he’d done nothing wrong, and right now I felt horrible for having rejected him like that. 

My hand moved on its own accord, reaching out to him.  “Genesis...” I said as I placed  it on his shoulder  g ently “The fact you’re not the right person to train me, says nothing about your capacities. You did teach me some important lessons, just maybe not the lessons I needed.”

He raised his head to look at me and his face lit up, making his eyes sparkle the way I remembered. “Do you think...maybe it is possible to just sit with you and talk, every now and then?” The expectation in his eyes was impossible to ignore and I couldn’t bring myself to hurt him even more. When did I become such a sap?

“I suppose,” I said carefully, trying hard not to give him too much hope. “I’m not going to disappear, I’ll be right here.”

With a bright smile, he took my hand in his and offered me an elegant bow,  placing a feathery light kiss upon my knuckles . I sighed inwardly. This really wasn’t going the way I wanted at all. Let it go, Sephiroth had said, but, it was easier said than done. 

“Let me know if he’s giving you a hard time.” Genesis smiled contentedly, before he winked and walked off, confidence returning with every stride.

At the very end of the corridor, right at the entrance to the cafeteria, he was met by Sephiroth, who was undoubtedly on his way to TC to meet me. I was supposed to be waiting there for him, but instead he’d caught me talking to Genesis. Maybe he’d even seen Genesis’ dramatic behavior, and it would give him more reason to give me a hard time about it.

I watched them exchange some words in conversation, but I couldn’t hear what they were saying. I did however notice Genesis throw some glances in my direction and I was really hoping he would behave himself. After a few moments, Sephiroth moved on. Genesis, who was staring at the wall, was left behind looking lost. It made me feel slightly anxious, as I knew Sephiroth was often merciless with the things he said. He wasn’t terribly aware of other people’s feelings, I sometimes wondered whether he even knew what feelings were. Did he ever have his feelings hurt?

“My apologies for keeping you waiting,” Sephiroth said to me as he passed me by, pressing the button to the elevator.

“What was that about?” I asked, looking over my shoulder at Genesis, who had just left, looking awfully sullen.

Sephiroth faced me and raised a  curious  eyebrow. “What makes you believe it’s your business?” 

“Oh, well, I don’t know, I just got the impression you might have been discussing _me_. Don’t treat me like an idiot, Sephiroth,” I snapped.

Slowly, he stepped towards me, his demeanor menacing. But by now, I’d known him long enough to know it was just a way to intimidate people, and we were long passed that. He stopped inches from me and  leaned down slightly to bring his face closer to mine. “You would do well to remember where you stand.” 

Yes, we were long passed that, but still I had to suppress the urge to take a step back, to squirm under his stern gaze. I managed fairly well, and stood my ground, refusing to show him how he affected me. “Are you getting back to patronizing me now? I was just starting to like you.”

He held my gaze long enough for me to momentarily forget what we were talking about. His face was too close for my liking, and the way his eyes were roaming over my features wasn’t helping.  His skin was flawless, there wasn’t a freckle or spot to be seen. There were tiny golden flecks in his green eyes, and even that imperfection was perfect to me. I couldn’t help but stare back at him, momentarily forgetting to breathe. 

Then, he softly chuckled. “We wouldn’t want to ruin that, now would we?” I needed a moment to recall what he was talking about, until I remembered our conversation. Sephiroth turned away from me when the elevator announced it arrival. “Genesis wanted to join us and I said not today. That is all you need to know.” He stepped into the waiting elevator, clearly finished with the conversation. 

Usually, I would be eager to get started, but his reaction didn’t sit well with me. What the hell had he even meant by saying that? He didn’t want to ruin me liking him?  “You would be the one to ruin that, obviously,” I said to hi m, thinking he was the one who kept acting all high and mighty . 

He laughed  at my attempt to get a rise out of him,  but said nothing.  His behavior was confusing me . Yesterday, he was so open with me. Today he seemed affected by something,  unwilling to share his thoughts with me .  As far as I could tell, I hadn’t done anything wrong yet today, though the day had only just started.  Secretly hoping this wasn’t going to be a shitty day, I followed him into the elevator.  As soon as the doors closed and the music started to play, I remembered the promise to myself to use the stairs. 

“I am seriously going to send someone a deathday present if they don’t do something about this damn elevator music,” I growled.

“I believe it’s meant to lighten your mood, not make it even worse,” Sephiroth replied bemusedly. It seemed he was more amused by my grumblings than impressed. Of course, he wasn’t easily impressed. 

“Well, it doesn’t,” I continued moodily. “And there’s nothing wrong with my mood.”

“Are you sure?” he asked me, his voice dripping with sarcasm. I crossed my arms in an irritated manner, but I said nothing. “You seem awfully frustrated since I separated you from Genesis,” he continued, surprising me with his sudden decision to drop the bomb about his thoughts. I knew there had been something on his mind before, no matter how much he had tried to hide it. Apparently, I had been wrong with my assessment of his talent for observation. He was clearly seeing things that weren’t there.

I  tsked impatiently . “Why on earth would I be?” 

“Oh, I don’t know.” I could tell he was trying very hard to sound casual, though nothing he said was ever casual. Every word that came out of his mouth had a purpose, that much had become clear to me since my promotion. “Perhaps you miss him.”

H is current attitude was beginning to annoy me .  Every time we spoke of Genesis, it seemed like he was trying to grasp something beneath the surface, to make me say things that weren’t true. I thought we had made it clear last time that I had no particular reason for staying with Genesis,  at least nothing remotely romantic. All I had wanted to do was protect both Sephiroth and Genesis,  and  Sephiroth had seemed  content with my answer. Relieved even . Now, he was picking again,  and instead of asking me what he clearly wanted to know very badly, he was beating about the bush. 

“Speak plainly, Sephiroth, or shut up about it.” I would’ve never expected him to hold back from speaking his mind, confident and arrogant as he was.

He didn’t reply, he simply stared at the buttons on the wall as they lit up with each floor we passed. Fifteen stories later the doors opened, and I decided he had chosen the latter option. I stepped out of the elevator thinking the conversation was over and we could finally get back to training. For now, I wanted to forget all about Genesis, and blow off some steam.

“Do you...? Have...feelings...for him?”

I wasn’t sure I had heard correctly,  his words had been barely more than a whisper,  so quiet and reluctant that I wondered whether I had imagined it. Yet, when I halted in my steps and turned around to face him curiously, he was looking back at me with slight apprehension. 

I watched him for a moment, trying to read his expression more clearly, and for the first time since I met him I saw him without the walls that usually obscured his true self. A shadow of doubt stirred behind his eyes, and I knew I  was  witness ing something unique. 

“Why would you even ask?” I said calmly, careful not to ruin the moment and cause him to hide behind that mask of detachment again. 

“You told me to speak plainly.”

Yes, I had, but the reason why he was so set on this was beyond me. I’d informed him about my reasoning concerning Genesis, though it seemed that for some reason he thought I was keeping something from him. Didn’t he believe me? Or was there more to it? “It’s just that I thought I had made it clear yesterday,” I explained, feeling a little weary. “I don’t know what else you want me to say.”

“You said you didn’t want me to be your mentor because you thought he was jealous.”

“I don’t think, I know he is.”

“It still doesn’t answer the question.” He really wanted to know? Perhaps, my suspicions were true after all? Sephiroth, suddenly wanting to mentor me, even arguing over it with Genesis. Sephiroth, pressing me about my intentions with Genesis. Sephiroth, joking he had meant to steal me away from him. My heart skipped a beat as my mind began to accept the possibility. But still, it’s seemed too unlikely to be true. And it was only a suspicion, nothing more. Yet, with the way his eyes were watching me, making me feel both uneasy and appreciated at the same time, it wasn’t so hard to imagine getting closer to him. He was still waiting for me to reply, patiently standing in the open elevator. I would give him what he wanted, even if I ended up making a fool of myself. 

“I don’t,” I simply stated after some time. There was only one thing left to do; to get the answer straight from him.

“None?”

“No, none,” I said a little more harshly than intended. “Now tell me, why is it so important to you anyway?” 

“Because it could cloud your judgment due to personal involvement.” I almost gasped at his words, not believing his audacity to turn his own insecurities into something as trivial as this. “Let’s get started, shall we?” Without a second glance, he swiftly made his way down the hall, leaving me momentarily speechless.


	12. Chapter 12

As soon as I had recollected myself, I clenched my fists and stormed after him, refusing to let him off so easily. “That’s bullshit!” He swiftly turned at my outburst, his features vivid. “Sir,” I quickly added, suddenly feeling I had gone too far and hoping to salvage whatever I could. It didn’t work.

He stalked  over to me,  this time effectively making me take a few steps back  as he towered over me . “I might have given you the impression that you may step beyond the boundary of professional relation, but keep in mind who it is you’re speaking to. I will not tell you again. Understood?”  He hadn’t raised his voice at me, but there was no need to. 

If I kept talking back to him like this I was bound to get into trouble, and although I had always gotten away with it in the past, I was afraid my luck would run out  fast . 

So, instead of retorting like I wanted to, I bit my tongue to keep more c heek from  leaving my mouth . I had made him a promise only yesterday; to try and behave myself.  “I understand. Permission to speak?” I  made th at last part sound as  sarcastic as I dared. 

Sephiroth’s eyes narrowed at me suspiciously before he straightened and turned away from me again. “Speak.” Instead of waiting for me to answer, he simply continued down the corridor, clearly expecting me to follow after him.

As I did so, the words tumbled from my mouth. “I’m sorry if you think I’m being impolite, but you told me you knew of his intentions, and you don’t seem to think that it clouds _his_ judgment.” 

“I do,” he replied while he walked on briskly, making me jog every few steps to keep up with him. “But it’s not my authority to tell him otherwise. That remains with Lazard alone.”

Surely he was right about that, but if I wanted to get personal with Genesis, that was my business, and he had no right to forbid me from doing so.  “It’s not your authority to tell me either. You’re my mentor, not my father.”  I could kiss whoever the hell I wanted. 

“But I _am_ your superior.”

I chortled at that, unable to keep the sound from escaping me. “Fine, next time I meet someone, I’ll come to you for permission, shall I?” As usual, I had meant that sarcastically, but Sephiroth was clearly not as accustomed to the language as other people.

“Please do,” he said to my surprise, before I almost bumped into his back when he suddenly froze in his steps. He seemed to be thinking about something, his head bent and his shoulders tense. In the silence that followed, I heard the words he whispered clear as day. “If I find you lied to me...”

“Excuse me?” I asked, completely dumbfounded by his statement. I opened my mouth to say more while I watched him continue his way towards TC. Instead, I snapped my jaw shut with a confused frown.

He ignored my question and opened the door, only stepping inside once I’d joined his side. “Begin,” he simply said, while he started the simulation without as much as a glance my way.

A part of me wanted to continue our conversation and demand what he had meant by saying such a thing, but the moment of transparency had ended, and he had once again raised up his walls. So I decided to let it go for now, even though it had been a very curious thing to say. And maybe I was better off not knowing anyway.

The simulation started around me, g iving me no more time to think about it .  “We’re not training together?”  I asked in wonder when Sephiroth made no preparative to draw his sword. 

“Not today,” he simply replied. His features were neutral. There was not a single thing written on his face to suggest that anything out of the ordinary had transpired moments ago, as if it had never happened at all. He stood back and watched me intently, his beautiful but sharp gaze piercing me. “I want to see your progress as a bystander.” 

It was  difficult , but it went well.  Sephiroth guided me through the simulation, which was a  reenactment of a n existing mission.  The session didn’t feel as strange or abnormal as I had expected; as always, Sephiroth gave me directions and remarks on how to improve. As I had promised, I followed his  instructions  without question,  though I couldn’t keep myself from throwing in some snide remarks here and there .  He didn’t seem to mind though, he even looked to be thoroughly amused at times. 

Soon, I’d worked my way through every single enemy the simulation thrown at me, and the scenery around me vanished to be replaced with first blue and then green.

“Excellent,” Sephiroth praised me while the familiar room reappeared around us.

“Thank you,” I beamed at him proudly and he returned a small smile of his own. This had turned out to be a good day after all. My muscles were burning, but in a pleasant way. Sephiroth had taught me a few new skills and moves, telling me how and where to strike. His teachings were a great contrast with Genesis’ teachings, and he’d kept the promise he’d made me; that he would help me reach my full potential. I had a long way to go yet, but I believed that we could do it together. 

“We’ll leave it here for now, Eden,” Sephiroth informed me. “I want you to be present at the outskirts of Midgar, at 7pm this evening. Can you do that?”

“Why?” I asked teasingly. “Are we going on a date?” 

H is eyes flashed with something I couldn’t identify,  but it was a definite show of emotion .  It might have been offense at my provocation, though he gathered himself quickly enough. “Stop acting like a school girl,” he said sternly, but it made me laugh even harder.

I adored the way he responded to these kinds of things. He may be smart and strong, and ever observant, but when it came to birds and butterflies… he seemed completely at a loss.

“Fine, fine, I’ll be there.” I chuckled one last time. “You’re not telling me what we’re doing, are you?”

“It’s a surprise,” he replied with a mischievous smile.

I couldn’t believe that he was actually playing along, but the look suited him. Then another thought arose in my mind; that I wouldn’t mind in the slightest if he’d indeed asked me out on a date.  “Okay,”  I agreed, suddenly feeling a little confused again. “See you then.” I  hurried from the room, hoping for the chance to get my thoughts gathered before evening fell. 

I spent the afternoon with Max, since it had been so long since I had invested some of my time with him. Not only that, spending time with him was a good distraction, something I needed. We went to the cinema in Midgar and after that we went to have eastern food for dinner at a nice restaurant. It felt good being with him again, and we discussed everything that had been going on. Well, almost everything. The thought had crossed my mind to tell him about Genesis and Sephiroth’s strange behavior, but when I thought about it now, while sitting in the noisy and crowded restaurant, it all seemed unimportant. We’d overreacted. Both myself and Genesis, and possibly Sephiroth as well. I was clearly seeing things that weren’t there, and things were going to work out fine. Tonight, I would meet Sephiroth for whatever it was that he had planned for us, but for now I would enjoy myself with my friend.

Max was doing very well with his training, and was well on his way to be recommended Third Class. Just like in my case, it had been a life long dream of his to join the elite. I was already looking forward to the day he finally made it.

Some time before 6pm, I left him to go out with his other friends, and I made my way back to my quarters to retrieve my weapons. Walking around Midgar fully armed was not worth all the stares, so I’d left them at HQ. I had no idea what Sephiroth had in mind, but it probably involved weapons.

At 6:25pm I made my way to the outskirts of Midgar, worried I might have to call Sephiroth to ask for the precise location, but it turned out there was no need for that. Once I stepped through the gates, I already found him waiting for me some distance away. His silver hair was rippling in the gentle wind, the setting sun illuminating his eyes. He looked unearthly -almost inhuman, and I failed to comprehend how anyone could be so beautiful. I found that I was unable to move as I stood watching him, not wanting to ruin the perfect image that was caressing my retinas. 

He  offered me a rare smile and held out his arm, in viting me to join him.  The spell broke when I forced my feet into action. 

My eyes roamed out over the fields as I went to meet him. The grounds around the  round  city were barren of grass, and my boots kicked up sand as I picked up the pace,  eager to know what he had in mind out here . There was a distinct spot where dirt transitioned to lush grass, and it was  t here that Sephiroth  stood waiting. 

As I looked out over the skirts, I noticed the large enclosures usually used for chocobro-breeding being occupied by some very vicious looking monsters. That’s when I remembered Genesis telling me the General liked to go hunting on his spare time. I smiled  mischievously at him when I joined his side,  already speculating about his intentions. If he were really to take me out hunting, I’d instantly crown him the perfect man. What more could a girl like me ask for?

Sephiroth calmly stared out over the fields, giving me nothing to go by, not even a response to my smirk. There had been nothing more but a blink before he’d looked away. It gave me the chance to observe and absorb his features. He looked peaceful to me. He looked perfect. I caught myself trailing the contours of his face and I blushed, quickly looking away before he would notice.

“Please tell me you didn’t bring me here to read me poetry,” I said to him, trying to start a casual conversation.

He  lowered his head  and  emitted a genuine chuckle. “I doubt you would need any more of those lessons.”

“I doubt I would survive one more, actually.” I chuckled too. “So, we’re hunting?” I added, voicing my suspicions.

A surprised look crossed over his features, a subtle change that I by now managed to distinguish.  “How did you know?”

“Genesis told me you like to hunt.”

His face grew dark again for a split second. “You spoke to Genesis?” His way of  spea king vaguely reminded me of an irritated Genesis not long ago.  When I’d mentioned Sephiroth to him that time in Junon, he’d suddenly become frustrated, and it wasn’t long after that incident that I had discovered why he’d responded that way. Funnily enough, I didn’t mind as much this time. In fact, the idea that Sephiroth felt possessive over me made my heart beat a little faster. It also gave me the urge to smooth things over. I didn’t want to see him upset, I wanted him to open up to me. 

“He told me in Junon,” I explained. “After I got back from visiting my father. You were gone then, remember?”

“I see...I remember. I remember him citing Loveless to you then already.”

I laughed awkwardly. “Yeah, among other things....” I trailed off, averting my eyes. I may have said too much this time, and judging by the curious look he gave me, I’d managed to pique his interest. “So, hunting?” I quickly changed the subject, excitedly clenching my fists.

The curious look faded from his face when he saw me all but bouncing up and down, and whatever he had been about to say, he seemed to have decided to let it go. “Excited?” he asked me, and a small amused smile made his lips curl.

My eyes caught on them for a moment before I replied. “Very. It’s about time I got to face the real thing, this is what makes my blood flow faster.”

“The real thing? You yearn for the violence of it?”

Too late I realized how horrible I’ d made that sound .  I dropped my head in sudden shame. “That makes me sound evil.” 

“I enjoy the violence of it,” he reassured me, but I simply raised an eyebrow sarcastically. Coming from him, it wasn’t terribly reassuring.

The face I made seemed to shock him somewhat. “You...think I’m evil?” he asked me,  his voice sincere . 

I would have loved to ease his m ind , but truthfully, he was different from anyone I knew. Evil wasn’t the right word for him, since I was convinced he was kind hearted and caring, but for some reason I knew that he didn’t want me to tell him that. He wanted me to tell i t like it is, the same way he did for me. It struck me that maybe he was concerned that people thought of him as evil, though I would have imagined he didn’t care much for other people’s opinions.  I was flattered  that he cared about mine. 

“No, I think you’re cold.” The way I said it was meant for him to know that I was only being honest, like he always was to me. No soothing with lies or pretenses, just the plain, naked, truth. It was something he would be able to handle, the way he knew that I could too. I wanted to say more, to tell him that I thought him so much more than that, but he broke contact and turned away from me, letting his gaze drift over the plains again. He seemed lost deep in thought, and I felt momentarily forgotten. Sephiroth was the kind of man who possessed a great deal of self-knowledge, so my words probably didn’t come as a surprise. Still, I hoped I hadn’t offended him. 

“Perhaps you are right,” he finally answered after another minute of silence. “But I am not always so.”

I chuckled softly. “I did notice, actually.”

“You did?” He faced me again, his eyes showing slight surprise. They shone with something other than surprise, something I couldn’t quite place. It might have been elation. 

The more time I spent with him, the better adapt I became at reading his subtle emotions; the slight changes in his posture, or the way his lips would curl up into the hint of a smile, there for me to see and yet invisible to anyone else.  His eyes told me so many things about him, though they were never clear for me to read. He remained an enigma, b ut his kindness began to show  more and more , with things such as these. 

“You set this up for me?” I asked, offering him an appreciative smile.

“I thought you’d enjoy it.” He seemed slightly hesitant, though there was no reason for him to be unsure of himself.

“So, it’s a treat?” I pressed, hoping he would start to see my point.

He frowned at me,  clearly thinking hard on what I was trying to say . “I suppose you could see it as such.”

I smiled up at him. “This is a very sweet gesture. I _do_ see all the effort you’re willing to put into me. You’re not always cold. Not to me, at least, and I appreciate it. I know that I can be a pain in the ass, honestly, but...”

“I’ve always liked a challenge,” he grinned, finally catching on. He seemed pleased with himself, and the fact he’d called me a challenge was flattering, even if he was only playing along.

“Nothing’s a challenge for you, Sephiroth.”

“Oh, don’t be so sure…” It was a very curious thing for him to say, especially since his tone was so playful. And yet, I knew he was being open with me, a state of mind I’d hoped to see more often.

It seemed, for the night, he had dropped his ever present defense. Like the walls around him had been temporarily broken down. I saw a side of him I had not often seen before. Something… fragile. It made me feel fragile as well. I wanted to share my worries with him, talk to him about the things that bothered me. Talking about such things with your mentor should be a normal thing to do, but I hoped we were now talking as friends.

“I just…” I searched for the right words for a moment, while he waited patiently for me to continue. “I guess I’m just afraid I’m going to be without a mentor again soon. It’s like I always cause trouble everywhere I go. It makes me angry, always having to prove myself to everyone.” I had no idea why I was being so open with this man, but I did know I felt completely comfortable discussing it with him.

“You need not worry, Eden. You will see, you have found your place with me as your mentor.”

Again I was reminded of Genesis’ words, which reminded me of something else in return. “Unless I lied to you,” I said to him suddenly.

I saw surprise wash over him momentarily. No doubt he hadn’t expected me to have heard what he had said earlier, or hoped I hadn’t. Then there was a subtle shift in his features, a shadow of anger showing through the calm surface. “You lied to me?”

“No…” I said carefully, not willing to ruin the moment of intimacy between us. “I said unless. What did you mean? Did you mean you would drop me like a stone if I had?” Instead of answering my question, he watched me intently, his eyes silently demanding me to elaborate, so I continued. “You must understand that there are more complicated things in life than yes or no, than right or wrong. I think you of all people would know.”

“Are you referring to Genesis?” His chilling tone warned me that I was about to lose him, that his walls were slowly being rebuilt before my eyes. A desperate need to keep him with me came over me, though I had no idea where the sudden feeling originated from. All I knew, was that I wanted to break them down before they had a chance to distance him from me.

“Yes,” I whispered and I almost moved to touch him, afraid he might turn away from me again. My fingers curled into a fist at my side. “But believe me when I say, I don’t want to lie to you. Please know that I didn’t. I have no interest in him other than friendship. But, to prevent being called a liar afterwards, I must tell you one more thing about it.” The confession would be a difficult one, I’d told no one what exactly had happened between Genesis and myself in Junon, but I felt the need to explain myself to Sephiroth. The feeling was strangely foreign to me.

His eyes narrowed, almost like he were bracing himself. “Tell me,” he whispered darkly. To most, it would’ve appeared menacing, but I knew him better than that now. It was his way of composure.

I suddenly felt my cheeks grow red, embarrassed and unsure of how to tell him without him thinking the worst of me. “He-- I--” His eyes narrowed even more when I started stuttering. “We…we kissed.” Inwardly, I flinched, prepared for lightning to strike. Instead, he stared at me.

T his time,  his face was absolutely devoid of all emotion . I doubted even Angeal or Genesis would’ve been able to read him at this point.  Finally, his lips parted and formed carefully selected words.  “You…did?” Even his voice was without emotion. 

“Well…he did, actually. But…I…I didn’t stop him…at first.” I had no idea why I was still stuttering. My tough demeanor and sass had completely abandoned me here.

“At first?” he asked, though it sounded like he was reluctant to hear the answer.

“I just…” Telling him this was more of a challenge to me than facing him with a blade. I was concerned that I would disappoint him with the truth, worried that he would think less of me. What happened between myself and Genesis was nothing more than a kiss, and yet at this moment, it felt like I stood at the verge of a life-changing moment, and whatever I decided to do would greatly impact the rest of my life. Then, once I started to form words, they tumbled from my mouth without restraint. “It happened so suddenly, he just-- and then we were interrupted and I realized it wasn’t what I wanted, not with him, and I told him that. He didn’t get the message, and he kept trying to win me over, but I kept my distance. And then you saved me from him.” 

Sephiroth let my words wash over him without interrupting me. I had expected him to get angry, so lose faith in me, instead, he said something I had n’t expected.

“You feel I saved you?”

“What?” I had lost track of the conversation for a moment, since my mouth had passed my mind a long time ago. I hadn’t even noticed I had used the word ‘saved’. “Yeah, well, I suppose…” I realized how much I liked the sound of it. “And that was the second time you did,” I pointed out, recalling him pulling me off the floor after being assaulted by Xander and Eddy. “You see,” I continued. “Even with everything people say, you have shown me kindness. And yes, you’re a cold-hearted bastard at times, but, hey, nobody’s perfect…” I fell silent for a moment while I observed him. He seemed to be doing the same, his clouded green eyes roaming over my face. “That’s all I have to say about Genesis,” I concluded, not knowing what else to tell him. 

“You didn’t tell him you’re not interested.” It wasn’t a question. Apparently, he knew more about the situation than I thought he did, but he should also consider the consequences.

“Genesis doesn’t seem to be a very stable individual,” I replied. “I’m afraid of what might happen if I did.”

“Do you fear him?”

I considered his question for a moment. Although I didn’t know him well enough, I was fairly sure that Genesis would never hurt me, but he struck me as sensitive, and even a little unpredictable.  “ If  he were a violent man then maybe . But no, I’m afraid of the devastation it would cause him and those around him.”

Sephiroth’s bow furrowed disapprovingly, the closest thing to a scowl I had ever seen him bear. He didn’t seem worried over my situation in the slightest, and he clearly didn’t approve of my methods of handling it either. “So, you keep him hoping when there is only despair for him?” he said.

“Don’t say it like that,” I snapped, shooting him a nasty glare, one he clearly wasn’t impressed with.

“It is what it is.”

I couldn’t disagree with him, but hearing him say it made me feel even worse about myself. Ever since Genesis had made clear his intentions, I had been balancing the scale between rejecting him and guarding his feelings, and I knew that at times I’d giving him hope for more, bringing his hopes to new heights when I’d let him kiss me. The act itself had been enjoyable, something I could only scold myself for. If I had never let that happen, then at least I wouldn’t have had myself to blame. Instead, I’d responded to his touch in the worst way possible; I’d requited. Maybe I should have been more definitive, but I wasn’t exactly in a position to have him as my enemy. Not after I’d only just been accepted into the ranks of SOLDIER.

I looked up at him and searched his eyes, wondering if he really understood so little about human emotions. He was adapt at so many things, he was the strongest man on the planet, a warrior with unequaled skill, and yet he seemed to be completely in the dark when it came to emotions. He returned my gaze with a stoic one of his own, though there was a flicker of genuine interest in them. How could I make him understand?

“If I were to burn him,” I started. “It would make the situation even more complicated than it already is.”

“How so?” he raised an eyebrow.

“He would loathe you even more, and you know why.” I doubted there was much need for me to explain that much to him, he’d all but admitted he knew what Genesis thought of his position. Genesis had accepted and beared many things because they were friends, but he was reaching his limit. “I don’t want to be the one to ruin your friendship with him.”

“Then allow me to do it for you.”

Before I  got the chance to process what he had said, he’ d gently  cupped the back of my head and  pressed his lips to mine .  My eyes shut tightly in shock, but th is kind of shock was very different  from  the  last time  I’d been caught by surprise by a man’s kiss . Last time, it had been lust, it had been an accident, but this didn’t feel anything like it.  This time was different all together.  This time there was no voice in the back of my head shouting at me in alarm. There was an undeniable explosion of butterflies in the pit of my stomach instead. Sephiroth’s lips were soft on mine, soft and slow and gentle  in a way I hadn’t expected. In fact, I hadn’t expected any of this, no matter how many times my mind had been trying to convince me he had some sort of ulterior motive for his recent actions. His warm kiss was lingering and I felt his leather clad fingertips brush along my jaw.  No one had ever kissed me like this, though I wasn’t very experienced in the first place. Still, this felt like the most romantic moment of my life, standing here in the arms of a fairy-tale knight in shining armor, while the wind played with our hair. I was lost for a moment, my heart had stopped beating. I didn’t want it to end, so I placed my hands against his chest,  tips curling around the straps and caressing the warm bare skin underneath.

As slow as his kiss, the pieces started falling together. The reason he had  allowed me along on the mission  to Junon when Third Class hardly ever  were , the reason he had wanted to know about Genesis and me, the reason he had stolen me away from his mentor-ship,  and  the reason he was kissing me right now. 

And although his kiss was still slow, and somewhat careful,  my body reacted.  My lips moved with his, reaching out to him without hesitation.  I wondered if perhaps I had wanted this ever since he had forcefully stolen me from Genesis, or maybe even before that. Was it more than physical? The Gods knew he was a beautiful man, but he was more than that.  The way he’d handled me with honesty had moved me, I’d even considered him caring. I  was  grateful for each and every thing he had done, even if I hadn’t been pleased at the  time . He was strong and wise and  even  funny at times.  In his own way. 

But how would this work? I suddenly felt a little alarmed at the idea that things were about to get even more complicated. Reluctantly, I pulled away from him and looked up at him. His eyes had been closed, but at my sudden act they slowly opened to meet mine. They were no longer devoid of emotion, and the uncharacteristic passion I saw in them sent a jolt through my body. 

I swallowed before speaking.  “I do believe this would cloud your judgment due to personal involvement,” I whispered to him.  I’d made it sound like a joke, but at the same time I that there was some truth to the statement. There was no way that the company, or Lazard would approve of this. Would they?

“I am your superior,” he teased.

“Are you?” I asked him, doubt filling my heart.

He searched my eyes  with his  and I felt like he  was looking right through me.  Then it was like a door closed over his emotions, and the moment faded.  “You don’t want this.”  H e let go of me and turned away, sounding frustrated.  Whether with himself or with me, I wasn’t sure. All I knew, was that I didn’t want him to turn away from me. Some part of me desperately needed him to take me into his arms again. But there was also a part of me that feared the consequences of our actions. 

“That’s not--” I wasn’t sure what exactly I wanted to say or do, but I had to do _something_. “You just made it so much more complicated, Sephiroth,” I breathed, feeling more confused than ever. 

“You may pretend this didn’t happen.” He didn’t meet my eyes, keeping himself turned away from me. I stared at the tension in his shoulders, saw the way his fist was clenched at his side. It troubled me to see him so upset, hurt, even. He was too proud a man for this type of thing, not accustomed to facing defeat. This however, was a different kind of battle, the kind I wasn’t used to either.

“Why?” I demanded softly. I already knew I would do it again if I could, the sudden dread in my heart told me as much.

He finally looked at me. “Isn’t that what you want?”

“I’m so confused right now,” I said softly, shaking my head to force my mind into working. 

“Let’s get back, Eden.” His voice was once again distant as he started to walk away from me.

I  quickly moved to take hold of his arm,  keeping him in place . “No, no, wait. Why do you turn away so easily?”  The answer was clear to me before he could reply, and I realized I should’ve known. He must not have been very experienced  dealing with situations like these. I’d never given it much thought, never wondered if he’d ever had someone he was interested in before. For all I knew, his life had been limited to work, training and his fellow SOLDIERs. He certainly wasn’t the type to go on dates. And yet, he’d invited me on one tonight, even if I hadn’t known beforehand. 

Instead of answering my question, he countered it with one of his own. “Why are you confused?”

He could easily shrug my hand off his arm and leave me standing here, but he didn’t. He looked at me apprehensively, but he didn’t walk away.

I let go of his arm and let it fall to my side. “This…this is so sudden, I-- You’re my superior, you’re-- you’re--”

“Cold?” For the first time ever, I detected hurt in his voice.

“No,” I stated with a firm shake of my head. I no longer thought him cold, even though he could be. There was so much more to him than people thought. At first glace, he was the perfect SOLDIER, who didn’t let his emotions get in the way, who didn’t even seem to possess emotions, but I knew differently. I’d seen then in his eyes, however rare and fleeting. “That wasn’t cold, Sephiroth, it was…” I searched for the right words to say, but they eluded me. “I’m so…I’m not very good with surprises.” I didn’t want him to leave yet, to pretend this never happened, I just needed time, time to put this into perspective.

A s he stood there  looking at me , an urge came over me and I  simply gave in.  If I didn’t manage to do this with words, then maybe I could let actions speak for themselves. My hands found his sides as  I stepped into him and lay my head  on his chest, hearing his  strong,  steady heartbeat  in my ear. When I felt his body freeze under my touch, I knew he hadn’t been expecting  my sudden act. His heart thumped a little faster in response, but then he relaxed under my touch and placed his hands on my back carefully, holding me close to him. I sighed deeply when a sense of peace and security came over me. 

We stood like this for what felt like eternity, but I knew it couldn’t have been more than a minute.

“Is this the same as it was with Genesis?” he asked me finally, breaking the silence between us. This time he didn’t sound demanding, it was as if he was merely curious.

“No…” I whispered, closing my eyes as I breathed in his scent. “I just wanted to run from him. I don’t feel like running now.”

I felt rather than heard the chuckle rise up from his chest. It was such an alluring sound. “I can tell…I suppose that’s a good start?” His tone was so much lighter than it had been before, more at ease and reassured.

“I guess it is…” I replied while I enjoyed his embrace, all those monsters long forgotten.

Perhaps, he had done enough hunting for tonight.


	13. Chapter 13

He promised to let me hunt the following day, and told me I shouldn’t even dare to consider slacking now. He said he wasn’t going to treat me any different and I was glad for it. The situation was confusing enough as it was and I had no idea what to do or make of it. He bid me good night in a professional manner and I did the same, though it felt rather awkward after what had happened out in the fields. To make matter worse, I couldn’t seem to get my mind and heart to calm down, making it difficult for me to fall asleep. The things he’d said to me ran through my mind, along with the things he’d done recently that had caught my attention. Had I fallen for him? I would be lying if I told myself I felt absolutely nothing for him, and the explosion of butterflies in my stomach when he had kissed me had been hard to miss. But, I wasn’t sure if I would ever learn the difference between love and lust. I had promised myself I would give it time and promised him I’d give him a chance. The fact I was willing to do that, indicated to me that yes, there was more than just lust. I had felt lust for Genesis at some time, and he was beautiful, but still I wouldn’t have it.

While I lay tossing and turning, trying to make up my mind but failing abysmally, my phone beeped. My worries were momentarily forgotten when I saw it was from Zack, saying they would be arriving back the following morning. At least I would have something to keep my mind off things. Though as soon as I placed my phone back on my nightstand, images of Sephiroth and the way his lips had felt on mine came flooding back.

I lay awake for another seven hours, before finally dozing off in the early morning.

* * * * *

I awoke suddenly by my phone ringing, completely entangled in the sheets as I tried to sit up. The phone nearly got knocked to the floor when I reached out to grab it, only just managing to catch it before it did. Who in the world would be calling this goddamn early in the morning?

“What?” I answered grumpily, thinking I’d tear someone a new one.

“Where are you?” It was Sephiroth, and by the sound of it, he wasn’t pleased with my lack of refinement. Maybe tearing Sephiroth a new one was a bad idea.

I groaned and fell back into the pillows, entangling myself even more in my sheets. “Five more minutes…” He was the reason I’d been sleeping poorly, the least he could do was take some responsibility for it and let me have my rest. Unfortunately, he didn’t see things the way I did.

“Stop slacking, Fox,” he simply stated, clearly demonstrating that he was indeed not about to treat me any differently. “I’m expecting you in five.”

“What? I can’t make it there in five! It takes at least fifteen to get there!” His demand was ridiculous, even the ride down in the elevator almost took as many minutes. What did he expect me to do, jump from the window? He probably would.

“Then I suggest you hurry, you have four and a half.” He hung up.

“Son of a –!” I growled, before rolling out of bed onto the floor in my haste to get ready.

* * * * *

Never before had I ever moved so fast, but I was still about twenty minutes late.  Sephiroth was waiting for me outside the gates, looking suspiciously patient. He was known for his ability to appear composed, even when he was not, and I hoped he would go easy on me. Something told me that now that things had…  _evolved_ between us, he might even give me a harder time, for that fact alone.  I wondered if by doing so he would try and conceal h is feelings from everyone, including his best friends. 

“What were you doing?” he asked me when I halted by his side, slightly breathless from having run so fast. The memory of what happened between us yesterday wasn’t helping with my breathing. 

I was slightly pissed by his attitude and had to refrain myself from saying something like ‘lying in bed with Genesis’. “Dying,” I growled instead before my eyes fell on the enclosures. “Where are the monsters?” I asked in surprise when I noticed all the enclosures being empty. Despite being in a poor mood, I had actually been excited to do some hunting, but the once captured monsters were now roaming around the fields close by, chasing after each other or lying on the grass leisurely.

“I released them.” It was a simple statement, though he couldn’t have been more clear. All that effort he had gone through to catch them for training purposes, and he simply… released them?

“You did what now?” I couldn’t hide my displeasure, though I already had a fairly good idea what this was about.

“You’re late. You will catch them again and take them to the enclosures.” He didn’t seem angry however, there was even a hint of sadistic amusement in his otherwise steely eyes.

I blinked at him, not understanding why he would go through so much hassle to make a point. “Why not just kill them right away?”

“Because that would be fun for you, not punishment. Now get to it.”

“Yes, _Sir,_ ” I growled, my mood getting worse by the second.

While I ran around the fields trying to round up the released monsters, Sephiroth simply stood there watching me do all the work, observing me with his arms crossed over his broad chest. The way his eyes followed my every move wasn’t helping with my mood, and I knew that he was enjoying himself a bit too much.

“Enjoying yourself?” I yelled at him after I almost got run over by a Levricon, only just managing to roll out of the way.

“Would you like me to read you a poem?” His voice was dripping with tease, something that until now I hadn’t been aware he was capable of. It brought a whole new dimension to his personality, though at the moment, I was unable to appreciate it.

“You know,”I grumbled loud enough for him to hear. “I just realized, I’m not so confused anymore.” In your face, Sephiroth.

“Move it.”

“ _Move it,_ ” I mocked, though I continued my work without much further complaint. At least, not audible.

Sweat was running down my back, making me feel dirty and sticky, and over the next f ew hours I barely stopped cursing, thinking this treatment wasn’t fair.  It took me near ly three hours to get all the monsters gathered and I was so pissed off I could’ve bombed them all right then. Sephiroth was still standing some distance away,  observing me silently .  He hadn’t said a word all this time; no words of encouragement, not disapproval. He simply assessed me, his green eyes following my every movement. There was something altogether infuriating and exciting about it. Which was strongest, I was yet to decide. However, I wasn’t about to let him get away with this without having my say. 

“Could’ve at least arranged a pick-nick or something!” I called and I knew he was smirking, even from this distance.

“Feel better?” he asked me, his voice quiet as it traveled towards me over the wind.

“No!” I snapped, and then groaned when I realized something. “You’re going to make me fight them right now, aren’t you?” I asked him pathetically.

“You may take a rest.”

“Oh thank the Gods.” I dropped down onto the grass and tumbled over onto my back. The sun was shining bright in the clear blue sky, almost making me feel like this was a perfect day. If only my mentor wasn’t such a brute.

Footsteps approached me, but I didn’t need to look to know Sephiroth had joined my side. A second later, he appeared in my line of vision, his large shadow falling over me and blocking out the sun. 

“If you fall asleep, you won’t like waking up, believe me,” Sephiroth warned as he towered over me. The man was capable of making even the sweetest words sound like a threat, but right now I was so exhausted that I didn’t care for his words. By now, I knew he was more bark than bite, though he definitely _had_ the bite to match.

I sighed, thinking of how tired I was and how I had laid awake most of the night, pondering. “Do you even know what time I fell asleep?”

Sephiroth didn’t move, he simply looked down at me. “Does it matter?”

“Whatever,” I mumbled and shifted my gaze away from him. Of course it wouldn’t matter to him, why would it? It wasn’t like he was a weakling who couldn’t go without a night’s sleep. He’d probably never rest while on a mission. It wouldn’t surprise me in the least.

The way he stood observing me made me feel more uncomfortable by the second and I flopped an arm across my face to hide away from him. He didn’t say anymore, and silence fell, the only sound was that of the wind and the monsters in the enclosures. It was rather peaceful.

Despite his warning, I fell asleep anyway,  dreaming of the beach and for some reason, purple cocktails . I woke up to something warm on my neck, and for a second, I thought it was Sephiroth. That illusion was soon over though, when I opened my eyes. There was a huge, wide open mule  hanging  over my face. Teeth upon teeth upon teeth, coming straight at my neck.  With a startled scream, I rammed my glove-blade through its  neck .  A large purplish bandersnatch fell to the ground  with a thud. I jolted up,  suddenly  wide awake and panting.  Sephiroth was actually laughing, the foreign sound causing me to jump to my feet in anger. 

“You! Insufferable, mean –” I flew at the still laughing man, my fist at the ready to give him a good punch.

“I warned you.”

My arm was raised, swinging at him. “Sneaky basta–” My insults were drowned when his fingers closed around my wrists and he sealed my mouth effectively, his lips closing over mine. Caught off guard, my thoughts of retaliation were wiped from my mind and for a moment the feel of him was all I could think about. My toes were barely touching the ground as he all but lifted me off the grass, my wrist still held high in his grasp. Once the shock faded, my anger came back. I pulled away, looking up at him with a no doubt flustered face. “Are you trying to kill me?!”

He released my wrist and placed his gloved hand against the curve of my back, gently holding me to him. “You should always be prepared for something like this to happen. If we were to go on a mission into the mountains, would you not sleep?” He seemed unaffected; there wasn’t even the slightest of blushes on his perfect face. Instead his eyes searched mine, telling me his question was serious.

“I would,” I replied. Part of me agreed with him, but I couldn’t help defy him a little more. He deserved it. “You’re my mentor, it’s your job to look after me. You can stay awake.”

A glint of pleasure showed in his eyes, but then they turned serious again. “I would watch over you. But not because you are my pupil.”

His words hit me like a thunderbolt of lightning, striking me with truth. There was no need for him to elaborate on his meaning, the way he’d looked at me as he said it was enough. Did he really feel this strongly about me? If he did, how would this work? We might have to keep our relationship a secret, and if things went downhill, our work might be more than a little affected. Right now, I didn’t even know exactly how I felt about him and whether taking the plunge was a risk worth taking. 

“Sephiroth…” When I started to speak, he must have heard the hesitation in my voice because I felt he was about to let me go, but I held on to him. I wasn’t finished, I needed to know what he was thinking. “How do you see this future? If Lazard would know, I’d be appointed to either Angeal or Genesis again, or no one at all. If we go on missions together, it would greatly impact our liability.”

A small frown appeared on his brow, is if the very thought was alien to him.  “It wouldn’t,”  he simply said as the frown s lowly faded. “I would never jeopardize a mission.”

“What if it jeopardizes me?” I asked him, looking into his eyes.

“Do you really think there would ever be something that challenging for me?”

It was all so easy for him to say. He was the mighty Sephiroth, the war-hero, unprecedented by anyone. Of course he would think nothing would ever be a challenge for him. But, what about the other way around? What if he was jeopardized in any way? Had he thought this through? When it came to emotion, people often did unexpected things. He was clearly calculating and rational, but I was known to act on emotion rather than sense. “There would for me,” I pressed.

He  lifted my chin  w ith his fingers and forced me to look him deeper into the eyes. They turned cold  as they bore into mine . “You will do whatever is needed to complete the mission at hand. You will leave me behind if needed, and you will save yourself. Is that clear?” 

“It is,” I whispered, unable to defy a direct command. There was something altogether mesmerizing about his words and the way he spoke them. He was awe-inspiring no matter what he did, and I was glued to his lips. It suddenly struck me that I wanted to kiss him again, that I yearned for the way he made me feel safe and warm inside. Because in the end, wasn’t that what every girl wanted? There was no doubt in my mind that girls threw themselves at his feet wherever he went, and yet he was here with me, holding me and telling me he would look after me, no matter the danger. He would face it for the both of us. He really was a force to be reckoned with.

“Now,” he said as he let go of me and drew his Masamune, apparently unaware of the way I had been staring at his lips. “Let’s have some fun.”

* * * * *

That afternoon, I had lunch with Zack and Angeal, and we talked about their mission. It hadn’t been too exiting, much to Zack’s disappointment. It had turned mostly into a spying matter and they had been accompanied by the Turks. I had never worked with the Turks before, but I knew that things like spying were definitely their thing. Along with assassinations and other dodgy things. They did the things other people steered clear of. I had _seen_ them of course, walking around the many hallways of this massive building. They usually wore black suits, making them stand out from everyone else and so they were hard not to notice. Tseng was the most well known, being the leader of the shady department. If I wasn’t mistaken, he originated from Wutai, the very nation we were at war with this very moment. His dark hair and eyes were proof of his origin, along with the shape of his almond face. I’d seen a few others too, like the one they called Cissnei, a young girl with tomato blond hair. Zack told me he’d had a ball with Reno, one of the younger Turks. He was around our age, so they had gotten along fine. I found this a little difficult to imagine, considering the kind of job they had. How could someone who assassinated people and have such a lack of conscience be a cool person? Somehow, it didn’t add up in my mind. I’d seen him around; bright flaming red hair and an amount of swagger that matched his cocky appearance. Reno was also known as the Turk most girls fawned over. Luckily I wasn’t most girls and my tastes were of the more mature kind. He was usually seen with Rude by his side, his tough looking, bald colleague. They were known as the inseparable duo. Not much was known about them however, which was the point. 

“You’d like him,” Zack grinned before taking the conversation in another direction, one I didn’t fully appreciate. “How ‘bout you guys meet? We could hang out together.”

“Not interested,” I grumbled at his suggestion, though Zack only laughed at that. There were other things on my mind, especially now that I had made it into SOLDIER. There was work and a lot of training to be done. My head was already distracted enough as it was, what with Sephiroth’s advances and Genesis’ dramatic behavior. 

“Always so ambitious.” Zack shoot his head and rolled his eyes mockingly. “C’mon, ya gotta live a little! When’s the last time you went on a date, huh?” He only laughed harder when he saw my glare.

“Give the girl a break, Zack,” Angeal butted in. “Or she might end up killing you with that look.”

At his remark, it was impossible for me to hide my smile any longer, and I laughed along with the two of them. We talked for a while longer after that, until  Angeal decided lunchtime was over, and he sent Zack off to TC,  telling him he’d be right behind him . 

If Zack thought this odd, he didn’t mention it. Instead, he got to his feet and stretched his arms over his head with a loud grunt. “How about some good ol’ dancing tonight, huh, Eden?”

He didn’t have to ask me twice, I was always down for some dancing with him. “Sure thing, meet you there at eight?”

“You got it.” He winked and left, whistling as he went.

As I watched him stroll towards the cafeteria exit, I noticed Angeal sat studying me with interest. His eyes were practically burning into my form.

I shifted my gaze away from Zack’s departing back and onto Angeal’s face. “Something wrong?” I asked him, wondering what was with the conceited and secretive look.

“It seems a lot has happened since we left,” he simply replied, as if that cleared everything up. The words were innocent enough, but they implied so much more. Had Sephiroth told him something? It didn’t seem strange, if he would tell anyone, I would be Angeal. I made a mental note to ask him later.

For now, it was best to assume Sephiroth hadn’t said anything, just to be sure. At least until I’d talked to him about it. “I have no idea what you mean.” I tried to keep my face in check, but I had always been bad at lying.

If Angeal noticed, he chose not to call me on it. He simply stood and reached out for the massive blade that stood resting against the edge of the table. After s ecuring it  to his back  he glanced  down  at me.  “Just be careful, Eden.”  With that warning, he walked off. 

I blinked after him in confusion. What had he meant by that? Be careful with what? Was there something he knew that I didn’t? Or did he worry like I did that the company might find out and there would be repercussions? My stomach churned as I pondered what to do with the situation, but what worried me the most was that I had no clear answer for myself.

* * * * *

The rest of the afternoon, I did absolutely nothing and it was bliss. In fact, I slept, trying to catch up on lost sleep. Close to dinner time, my phone rang, pulling me from my dreamless stupor. With a foggy mind I read the caller ID.

Sephiroth.

In a way I was glad he was calling, since I needed to talk to him, but at the same time, I had no idea what to say to him. Telling him about my concerns was one thing – though I was sure he’d wave them off as trivialities – but I had no idea what he actually expected of me. I’d yet to openly confirm any feelings for him, and he hadn’t asked me about it. Wasn’t he as confused as I was? I’d enjoyed the hunt with him this morning, and watching him fight was a sight to behold, a sight that made my heart beat faster, but… Wouldn’t our time together have been better spent talking about… well… us? Truthfully, all this was unknown territory to me. I wasn’t completely inexperienced, but I’d never had an actual boyfriend before. Had he ever been in a relationship before? The very idea was somehow ridiculous for some reason. Maybe he simply wasn’t the type.

The phone’s continuous ringing brought me back to reality and I reached out to grab the device.

“Hey,” I answered before clearing my voice to get rid of the huskiness. My nap had left me feeling a little sluggish. 

“Sleep well?”

“How would you even know? Are you spying on me again?”

A chuckle reached my ear from the other end, making me smile .  He was showing me more and more of this gentle side of his. “You disappeared from sight,”  he explained. “ W hat else would you be doing?” 

Clearly, there were a lot of things a girl my age could be doing on a random afternoon, but I didn’t point that out to him. Instead, I decided to tease him a little. “Going on a date with some really hot guy from the slums?” I was in a mischievous mood.

He was silent for a moment, but then he finally replied. “If that is your wish.”

“Why would it be?” I didn’t understand his reaction, nor was it what I had expected him to say. I wasn’t being serious, but apparently he didn’t know that.

“I understand if you would want someone… more spontaneous and sociable.”

I laughed at his words. There was something entirely cute about his reaction. It was laced with barely concealed insecurity, something that suited and contradicted him at the same time. I’d never seen him insecure before and yet it seemed he had no idea how to handle this.

“You’re not a people person, are you?” I asked him with a chuckle. “No guy from the slums would arrange a monster-hunt for me, or be able to handle me, for that matter. Nah…wouldn’t want a guy to be afraid of me.” Finally, he seemed to be picking up on my mood and I heard him hum in amusement. “Was there a reason you called, Sephiroth? As much as I appreciate your efforts, I do hope you aren’t calling to send my ass to TC again?” 

“I wanted to invite you to join us for dinner. But it’s all right if you want to go with your slum guy.” Wow, look at that. The great Sephiroth, all humorous and all. 

“Just this once, I’ll cancel him for you,” I teased him, loving the fact he was playing along. “But don’t expect me to always turn down my admirers for you.”

“Noted,” he simply said before he hung up, surprising me again.

Okay… I stared at the phone in my hand with a frown. Sephiroth had a lot to learn.

* * * * *

I made my way down to the cafeteria at five and apologized to Max and the others for abandoning them. They pretended to be greatly hurt and I pretended to be greatly sorry.

Zack had also joined the SOLDIER table, which made for a nice change since he usually ate with his friends as well.

“Arranged a special dinner for me, boys?” I asked as I sat down next to Angeal, who was in the middle of telling Zack off for messing up their afternoon training session.

The table was set for us, since SOLDIERs surely wouldn’t set their own table apparently. I wondered if there was some kind of special occasion, but nobody mentioned anything. Maybe this was just something they did every now and then; get together and arrange for a special meal. And it was a really tasty dinner. They served us soup and meatloaf for starters, followed by dragon meat steak with cranberry sauce, popped potatoes and some kind of green bean I’d never seen before.

While we ate,  I noticed Genesis trying to steal  glances from me, and he was occasionally narrowing his eyes at Sephiroth when ever I spoke to him. I kept my distance from the General though, I didn’t want to raise any suspicion, especially not when I wasn’t even sure what was going on yet. I felt I missed being able to talk to him openly, and I caught myself wishing we were alone.  At least then we might have a chance to discuss the situation. In turn, he kept his distance from me, treating me as he normally would; formally and professionally. 

“Eden, how’s our General treating you?” Genesis suddenly asked me. 

His question clearly had some hidden meaning behind it, something only he, myself and Sephiroth would know. To Zack and Angeal it probably sounded like a normal question, although Angeal was very perceptive and he might understand perfectly what was going on here. Still, I cleared my throat and smiled at Genesis from across the table. “I’m alive, as you can see. Though barely, at times.”

“Are you trying to wear her out, my friend?” Genesis asked Sephiroth without a single trace of his true intention in his voice. It seemed like another honest question, but I was aware of the meaning behind it. He was trying to protect me from him for some reason. Did he think that Sephiroth would hurt me? Surely not.

“She complains a lot, but she can take it,” Sephiroth grinned in response. I was fairly sure he’d picked up on the subtle meaning as well, though he managed to hide it perfectly. I only hoped that the tension I felt in the air was my imagination.

“As long as you don’t actually try to kill her,” Genesis replied casually. “Like before.”

Sephiroth let it go, but Angeal didn’t, standing up for his friend. “Sephiroth wouldn’t do that, he has no reason to. He knows none of us would appreciate it if he did.” He winked at me and I smiled back.

After that, the tension lifted and the conversation shifted to more casual things, something I was grateful for. It didn’t take me long to realize that Angeal had been the one to cause the shift, and he’d done so inconspicuously. The rest of dinner was very enjoyable, especially when a bowl of ice cream was planted in front of me. The guys kept mocking and bullying each other in the most bizarre ways. At times, you would almost forget they were only twenty-seven years old, but right then, they acted their age, if not a few years below, somewhere at Zack’s level.

* * * * *

I had promised Zack I would train with him that night, but I didn’t feel like waiting anymore. So, at seven-thirty I made my way down to TC after having changed into my uniform, to do some training on my own while awaiting his arrival. What I saw when I opened the door, was not what I had in mind nor expected.

Sephiroth and Genesis were right in the middle of battle, their surroundings; a chopped up Junon cannon. Their blades were flashing through the air at such speed that they’d become a red and white blur. Angeal was on the floor while Sephiroth and Genesis were flying at each other, all reservations lost. If I hadn’t known any better, I’d think they were trying to kill each other. Maybe they were, and my fears had finally come true.

I ran over to Angeal, to try and revive him. When I shook his shoulders he stirred slightly, while the fight continued behind me. I had to make sure to stay out of the way, they were clashing all over the place. The two men were seemingly unaware of their surroundings, and I wondered if they even knew that Angeal had been hurt. Worse, how could they act like this at all? The determination on both of their faces was scary to behold and I was beginning to properly worry for both their safety. This wasn’t a game, this was a competition, and neither of the two liked to admit defeat. Sephiroth was too arrogant, and Genesis was too set on proving himself. This had to be stopped, fast.

Angeal showed no sign of waking up at my insistent shaking,  so I slapped him in the face real hard.  His blue eyes flew open like he’d just woken up from a nightmare . 

Already I was yanking on his arm, trying to get him to sit, or at least move. “Get up, Angeal! They’re killing each other!”

Angeal moved swiftly to his feet without hesitation, his bearings returned to him. “Enough!” he shouted firmly, jumping in between the two clashing men and blocking both deadly swords with his own and a training blade before they could make contact with each other.

“Angeal,” Sephiroth spoke his name almost like a question, as if wondering what his friend was doing here in the middle of this. It was obvious he hadn’t been expecting it, but he made no move to strike out at him.

Genesis on the other hand, was less friendly about the sudden arrival of his friend. “Out of my way!” he growled with a look on his face that scared me beyond anything I had ever seen. He conjured up an energy ball from his free hand, striking at Angeal’s training blade, shattering it like glass. It broke apart on impact, sending a piece of the blade right in Genesis’ direction. It happened as if in slow motion, I even had time to gasp when I saw the shard fly. Genesis suddenly groaned and stumbled backwards. 

“Genesis!” Angeal called with concern just as Genesis clutched his arm and sunk down to one knee. He reached out to his friend, but at that moment there was a bright flash of light, and the simulation around us faltered, taking us back to the cold steel room of TC. 

Only now that the simulation ended, I saw that the room was completely destroyed. The walls were cut to shreds, pieces of the ceiling were missing, live wires shot off sparks in every direction and the floor was littered with scraps. Anger started building up at the foolishness of these grown men, but it was momentarily clouded by worry; Genesis was still on the ground, tightly gripping his left shoulder.

“Genesis..?” I carefully called his name while I slowly got up from the floor.

“Just a scrape,” he finally said as he rose smoothly to his feet. His voice was steady and confident and I wondered if it were only an act. “I’ll be fine, don’t worry.” We stood around him, staring as he held on to his shoulder. He bent down to pick up his Rapier and slowly moved towards the door. “Even if the morrow is barren of promises, nothing shall forestall my return.” With that, he left us standing.

But I wasn’t done with Sephiroth yet. As soon as Genesis had stepped outside, anger resurfaced and now that Sephiroth was the only culprit here, it was directed at him alone.  “What the hell are you doing?” I suddenly snapped  at him .  They were two grown men, fighting like children.  “Can you please get a hold of yourselves?” 

“It was nothing,” Sephiroth replied, sounding rather uncaring. Didn’t he see what mess they had made? They’d wrecked the entire room, but that wasn’t the worst part in my opinion. No, it was the fact that they had felt the need to finally challenge each other over their selfish needs, like predators over a prey.

“You call that nothing?!” I all but shouted. “Do you think I’m blind?! I’m not some treasure you need to fight over like bloody savages!”

“It’s not the first time he’s challenged me.”

His lack of emotion angered me even more. The least he could do was show some remorse for his actions, or some form of understanding for the way it made me feel. “You could’ve killed each other!” I argued.

“I’d like to see him try.”

I turned cold with him, appalled by his sense of pride. “You’re not invincible, Sephiroth. And neither is he. I don’t want this… I refuse to be the cause of this. Get your act together.” With that, I stalked out of the demolished room, leaving Sephiroth and a very confused Angeal behind.

“Leave her be.” I heard Angeal say as I stormed down the corridor.


End file.
